Women Formula Sae Automotive
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Nr. 15 Year 2011 MAGAZINE PUBLISHED BY DALLARA "Periodico regolarmente registrato presso il Tribunale di Parma (n.16, 03/09/2010)" THE ENGINEERS WHO WORK WITH THE MAJOR AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURERS EXPLAIN HOW PRODUCTION SUPERCARS THAT COMBINE AUTOMOTIVEEXCITEMENT WITH MAXIMUM SAFETY ARE BORN AT VARANO WOMEN MOTORSPORT IS NO LONGER A MEN-ONLY CLUB: TWO WOMEN FROM DALLARA TELL US HOW THEY BECAME DESIGNERS AND DEPARTMENT HEADS, BY FOLLOWING THEIR PASSION FOR MOTOR CARS FOR THIRTY YEARS, ENGINEERING STUDENTS FROM THE WORLD’S BIGGEST UNIVERSITIES HAVE BEEN CHALLENGING EACH OTHER ON THE TRACK, CREATING, DEVELOPING AND PROMOTING THEIR RACING PROJECTS. WE EXPLAIN HOW THIS EXTRAORDINARY LABORATORY WORKS FORMULA SAE WHEN FORMULA SAE ENGINEERS HIT THE TRACK FOR THIRTY YEARS, ENGINEERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD HAVE BEEN COMPETING IN THE FOMULA SAE CATEGORY, CHALLENGING EACH OTHER ON THE TRACK, DEVELOPING THEIR OWN PROJECTS AND LEARNING ABOUT TEAMS, BUDGETS AND COM- MUNICATIONS. AN EXCELLENT WAY OF DEVELOPING TALENT AND SKILLS, EVEN IN THOSE PARTICIPANTS WHO WILL NEVER GO ON TO A CAREER IN MOTORSPORTS. WE SPOKE TO ENGINEER TOSO FROM DALLARA, AND ENGINEER FREGONESE FROM THE FIAT RESEARCH CENTRE, BOTH OF WHOM ARE PART OF THE TECHNICAL COMMISSION THAT WILL EVALUATE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE Thirty years of Formula SAE: Engineer What is the aim of Formula SAE? common set of rules. Although most of Toso, can you explain how the idea of a ”The aim is to promote the cultural, these students will not go on to pursue a “racing” competition between technical and interpersonal development career in “motorsports”, the sector is engineering students was born? of students, most of whom are enrolled simply not large enough to accommodate ”The idea grew out of a competition in engineering faculties, through healthy that many candidates, they will have between two American universities, Texas, competition. The underlying principle is learned valuable lessons about working Austin and Arlington that began thirty that of getting the young people together in a context that is not yet years ago, in 1981. This year the initiative accustomed to solving real problems centered around earnings and career. has gone global, featuring two events in within the limitations imposed by time, The experience requires a high degree of the United States and one in Great Britain, budget and human resources: in fact, in commitment since, inevitably, it takes up Austria, Italy, Japan, Australia, and Brazil, order to deal with these challenges, the a significant amount of time that would and will soon be expanding further, with students must organize themselves into otherwise be dedicated to academic races in India and China”. teams within the framework of a studies, on which it may have an adverse 2 effect: the competition is open to all democratically as a team leader. A bigger however, the majority of the scores are students, but it is not ideal for everyone”. team may be able to get through more awarded for the results obtained under real work, but it will also be more difficult to trial conditions, such as acceleration from a Do any figures from the racing world organize and co-ordinate activities that will standing start, handling on bends, the participate in this initiative? Is there an be divided between those who have fastest circuit, the results obtained in a international calendar? sufficient time: therefore a typical team short endurance race and the resulting fuel “The “big names” are at the service of the tends to have between fifteen and twenty consumption; almost half the total points students, who are the real protagonists, members, same as a rugby squad or a team are awarded for the endurance test in they offer their help on a purely voluntary in charge of a military aircraft”. deference to the principle: “in order to basis and are quite happy to take a back finish first, first you have to finish” . Taking seat to the students. It would be wrong to What is required of the students? The a wider view, I think the teams and their expect speeches, lessons, presentations, activities include developing a business universities can approach the event in one interviews, conferences and announcements plan based on real cost data, design, of two ways: the first is to try to obtain the from the big names, and the students construction, test driving… greatest number of points, in order primo would soon get bored if they started!”. “The prototype is judged on the basis of win the competition; the second is to use range of factors and scoring methods. the experience to learn as much as possible, What are the rules of the competition? Special commissions evaluate design on both a theoretical and a practical level, How are the teams structured? quality, production cost analysis, and the even if this means making mistakes. Both “The participants are normally engineering presentation of a hypothetical marketing strategies provide the students with an students in their fourth or fifth year, they plan, in order to ensure that the project has excellent opportunity to gain experience, organize themselves naturally into teams a solid foundation in engineering the first is more short term and is suitable and elect one of their number techniques and practical experience; for those students with a real chance of ➔ 3 FORMULA SAE breaking into the world of motorsports, environment, but for every one of these, at “Although I hate to admit it, after five years while the second takes the long term view least ten more have taken up opportunities as a judge I have noticed that many of the and is more appropriate for training with companies in completely different positive and negative stereotypes applied to leading students: each university and its sectors. The real result is to provide the Italians are true. The Italian teams team is free to adopt either approach, or a students with an unrepeatable and distinguish themselves for their extrovert combination of the two”. invaluable experience. This is not the kind approach (as can be seen during the of experience they can acquire once they presentation trials, for example), and their In addition to the purely technical aspects, enter the world of employment, and it’s creativity in emergency situations. Constant how important is an experience like this difficult to put a price on something like weak points are organization, consistency, for testing and improving soft skills, such that”. execution, planning, a lack of respect for as the ability to work as part of a team, to the rules: Italian teams frequently negotiate, co-ordinate, communicate, What are Dallara’s motives for getting underachieve. I find it surprising, and manage time and conflicts, etc? involved in this initiative as a partner? amusing, to see the stereotypes associated “The “soft” skills you mention arise and “It’s more about what Dallara gets out of it with us and “the others” reconfirmed on a develop naturally within the team, in an than what Dallara puts in. Dallara receives regular basis: English students tend to come entirely healthy and real way, without the cultural stimuli from all over the world, and up with “lightweight” projects, producing need for “master” training courses. It is comes into contact with brilliant students fragile prototypes, which they gradually worth remembering that, in less than nine who distinguish themselves as much for improve upon until they reach the best months, these young people must design, their behavior and attitude as for their possible solution; whereas, the Germans will manufacture, assembly, and drive a technical skills, as well as establishing and produce a robust, reliable prototype, and complete racing car, sacrificing time that promoting partnerships with various then refine it over time until they arrive at would otherwise be spent on other activities universities, developing exciting projects at similar solutions”. and on their university studies”. low cost and without the encumbrance of bureaucracy. In view of these immense, This year around 60 universities are Formula SAE has been active in Italy since even unquantifiable benefits, Dallara is expected to take part. What do you expect 2005: how would you evaluate the results more than happy to encourage its technical from this edition? of these five years? Are there any examples personnel to dedicate their time to filling “I learn more from the young people than of students going on from Formula SAE to the roles of judges and commissioners”. they do from me. For them, I represent a the design or racing sector in general? the past, while, for me, they represent the “A large number of students have made What results have Italian students future”. careers for themselves in the motorsports achieved in Formula SAE so far? Alessandro Santini 4 Fregonese: “A great school for young people, the contributions made by Dallara and the Riccardo Paletti race track are invaluable” How important is an experience like Formula SAE “Organizing an event like Formula SAE is no simple for an aspiring engineer? What additional values matter, and the contributions provided by Dallara does this competition offer, in technical and and the Riccardo Paletti are absolutely essential. human terms? The race track personnel are invaluable when it “Formula SAE represents an important experience comes to resolving all the large and small problems for aspiring engineers, because, for the first time in that arise during the event, while Dallara fully their lives, they are forced to deal with the understands the spirit of the event and provides a problems faced every day by people in the working great deal of assistance”. environment: working together with other people, developing a project on limited resources, and You have been the director of this competition having to complete tasks to strict deadlines.