Smithers is incredibly proud to sponsor the University of Akron Formula SAE team for the 2023 racing season.
 
Formula SAE, also called Formula Student Team, is a university-level student competition. Student teams work together to design and build a Formula One-style racecar over a period of eight to twelve months before competing against other teams in events all over the world. A series of static and dynamic events determines the judging, including technical inspection, cost, presentation, engineering design, solo performance trials, and high-performance endurance.
 
Formula SAE gives students the unique opportunity to gain valuable technical and interpersonal skills that will serve them greatly after graduation as they transition to the working world and full-time engineering positions.
 
“My college career wouldn’t have been nearly as fulfilling without Formula SAE,” said Raymond Hilbert, the team’s current captain, who graduated this spring with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. “Most importantly, racing improved my leadership skills, as well as my ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Often, a decision needed to be made in a short amount of time, and it took great team coordination and execution to make it successful. I know this experience will translate very well into any working environment.”
 
“Participating in Formula SAE is helping to prepare me for the future because I’m getting to carry out all the real jobs that engineers have,” said Andrew Raineri, a third-year aerospace systems engineering student at the University of Akron and the team’s administrative lead. “Most engineers will be assigned to strictly design, manufacturing, or some other single area in their careers, but being a member of this team allows each member to take on all those roles and gain vital experience in the many different career paths one could take as an engineer. My role as administrative lead will help me to become a good leader and learn more about how subsystems come together to make a whole.”
 
“Some of the most importance skills and experiences I’ve gained from Formula SAE are solving complex engineering problems while also being creative and networking,” said Gianna Buzzelli, a fourth-year mechanical engineering technology student who will succeed Hilbert as team captain for the 2023-2024 season. “I believe my experience will not only prepare me for my career, but help me excel, due to the experiences and situations I’ve encountered that are very applicable in industry settings.”
 
The University of Akron Formula SAE team, often called the “Zips,” is currently preparing its 31^st car for competition. The Zips have competed in both domestic and international competitions over the years. Notable placements include:

• Eighth place, Formula SAE Michigan, 2019
• Second place, Formula Student East, Hungary, 2019
• Tenth place, Formula SAE Nevada, 2021
  • Fourth place in Skidpad and third place in both Autocross and Acceleration.
• Eighth place, Formula SAE Michigan, 2022
  • Fifth place in Endurance and seventh place in Design

Learning from the Experts

To prepare for the 2023 racing season, four members of the Zips racing team visited the Smithers Tire & Wheel Test Center on Friday, April 28, for a tour and a conversation with Smithers engineers Jim Popio, Matt Kent, and Kenny McGinnis.
 
Each student learned something different.
 
“One big takeaway from our visit with Smithers was how important the smallest details become when looking at testing,” said Hilbert. “A lot of thought goes into every test, and seeing how many different experts came together for a single test was unique. Being able to apply the ideology of combining multiple different members of the team to gain a better understanding of everyone else’s role would be a great thing for us to implement.”
 
“A lot of what I do as the team’s vehicle dynamics lead is interpreting the data we get from the car and turning it into useful metrics about how the car is performing,” said Ivan Wasielewski, a mechanical engineering and applied mathematics student. “I learned a lot about what goes into tire modeling, as well as how accurate the measuring must be due to the tire and rubber not really behaving like a solid material would.”
 
“Tires are far more complicated than initially thought to be. For something that doesn’t appear to be eye-catching at first glance, there is so much science and testing that goes into the production of one tire,” agreed Raineri. “Testing is a tool we could use in the future to validate the tire data we collect on our own computers and could be very useful in teaching us how to optimize our racecar to run even faster.”

The Zips’ 2023 Formula SAE Racing Season

The Zips competed in Formula SAE Michigan 2023 this May and placed 12^th out of 120 teams, with a third-place finish in the Skidpad category. But their racing season has just begun.
 
The COVID-19 pandemic and circumstances in Ukraine prevented the team from attending European competitions in recent years, but this summer, “the team will be attending competitions over in Europe for the first time since 2019,” said Wasielewski. The Zips will be at:

• Formula Student Austria in July
• Formula Student East, Hungary, in August
• Formula Student East, Germany, in August

 
“This is a trip that makes Zips Racing special, and we can’t wait to show off the car overseas,” said Hilbert. The Zips team will also compete at the Pittsburgh Shootout in August and the University of Toronto Formula Racing (UTFR) Shootout in September.
 
Sponsorship funding helps to cover the costs of equipment and building the car, as well as travel and shipping expenses for competitions. The Zips’ car is up to 70% sponsor-funded every year.
 
Smithers has a long-standing relationship with the University of Akron. Jim Popio is a member of the university’s Mechanical Engineering Advisory Council and regularly volunteers to review engineering students’ senior projects. Additionally, Smithers has an active co-op program that regularly places engineering students directly in Smithers labs, providing hands-on experience in a real-world work environment. Many co-op students go on to become full-time Smithers employees. The Smithers Materials Science and Engineering Division has over twenty University of Akron alumni working at its North American locations, including the Smithers Tire & Wheel Test Center and the Smithers physical and chemical testing laboratories in Akron.
 
“At Smithers, we deeply value our close relationship with the University of Akron and are proud to have many alumni on staff. I’m a proud Zip myself,” said Popio, who earned his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and PhD from the University of Akron. “Fostering young people’s enthusiasm for STEM and creating opportunities for these students is very important to our business. We are very excited about the opportunity to sponsor this team of bright, passionate engineers and provide the R&D support they need to take their car to the next level. Maybe some of them will join the Smithers team in a few years!”
 
Buzzelli believes the team’s achievements so far this season are already setting them up for success next year—and beyond. “I’m very excited to see an evolution, not only as a team and car, but as individuals. Each member of the team incorporates something important and unique, and I always enjoy seeing them learn and grow throughout the season. They have all learned so much and are so bright. I am nothing but excited to see what they’re going to bring to the table in the future.”
 
To learn more about Zips Racing and follow their season, visit https://zipsracing.org/.