RCRCT CLUB 2020 evGrand Prix Collegiate Electric Karting Challenge

Richard Childress Race Technology (RCRCT) Club Electric Go Kart and Transporter proposal. A project for the 2020 evGrand Pix Collegiate Electric Karting Challenge at the Motor Speedway.

By Rick Gibson Richard Childress Race Car Technology Program Student at Forsyth Tech 9/3/2019 Dear Professor Lain,

I am happy to have been selected for the Fall 2019 Semester of the Richard Childress Race Car Technology Program at Forsyth Tech. It is my hope to use funds from my Segal AmeriCorps Education Award for Go-Kart fabrication tools and/or an electric go kart class project.

I like your idea for the Motorsports club to put on some events like a Solo (AutoCross) driving skill contests that emphasize the driver’s ability and the car’s handling characteristics. This can be accomplished by setting up a course that is designated by traffic cones in Forsyth Tech’s Transportation Technology Center parking lot.

We could market the event as an annual outreach platform using as a hook to attract the attention of parents, kids, High School and College Students, and to get them excited about the RCRCT racing program, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) related careers.

I respectfully recommend an outreach campaign that involves the Motorsports Club in planning and promoting the Autocross event as a Family Fun and STEM Awareness Day, slated for the Summer or Fall of 2020. The proposed Auto Racing and STEM Expo can be developed as a platform for potential sponsors: companies, foundations and individuals to strengthen their public image by demonstrating a commitment to Racing and STEM Career development.

The Centerpiece of the event may be a Richard Childress Race Car Technology (RCRCT) Motorsport Club (electric) Go Kart and Transporter. The event may feature a truck, car and bike show, entertainment, STEM awareness activities, robots and race . Guest speakers would include: male and female engineers, race car drivers and an all-female robotics team whose goal is to encourage young women to explore robotics and computer science.

The Electric Go team can be Integrated into the Motorsports club. We will need to find a of students who will join the team as an after school racing club working to organize, fund and manage a team for the 2020 evGrand Pix Collegiate Electric Karting Challenge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway .

Origins of evGrand Prix evGrand Prix was started in 2009 at Purdue University. Professor James Caruthers in Chemical Engineering was awarded a $6 million grant from the Department of Energy to expand electric vehicle education through a competitive racing event. This was the beginning of collegiate electric karting.

In 2013, evGrand Prix partnered with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to host the event in the infield of the world-famous track. The race now takes place just before the Indy 500 each year and is considered part of the 2-week long festivities for the Indy Car event. This means Indy Cars would be practicing around the track as the electric go-karts race.

The 2019 evGrand Prix marked the event’s 10th year of electric go-kart racing. The collegiate and high school events are smoothly, so evGrand Prix has expanded into the realm of AUTONOMOUS racing. This year teams raced remote-controlled karts with the debut of the first collegiate autonomous race of its kind! Each year, teams have pushed the technological capabilities of their karts further and further. Similar to the early days of combustion engines, evGrand Prix allows for many different drive train combinations to be utilized. Students are encouraged to research new technologies and implement them on their karts, whether it be new motors, high-powered batteries, or even cutting-edge telemetry systems. This is, across the board, true engineering.

If we decide to organize the RCRCT Motorsports Go Kart racing team, we will need students strong in language and communication along with students who excel in engineering and hands on building. These students will need to work together to accomplish the goal of building one or more electric karts and preparing for the events throughout the year. Ideally, our team should consist of 15 to 20 students involved with the 4 major focuses of the program; community outreach, design and engineering, energy efficiency, and racing. At a minimum our team will require 5 students; driver, crew chief and 3 crew members.

Financial Support

The first year of the RCRCT Motorsports team will be our most expensive year. Start-up budget should be Low $25,000 to Mid $55,000 to High $150,000. The cost will be lower if we decide to find used components and/or do some of the fabrication ourself. After the first year the RCRCT Motorsports Go Kart racing team will only need to maintain the karts. This might include buying new batteries, motors, , fixing damage caused during racing, etc.

The RCRCT Motorsports team will develop a sponsorship proposal to reach out to businesses to seek financial or in-kind donations. To help with this process we will develop a team video, podcast. youtube channel, websites, social media, and other methods to promote the RCRCT Motorsports team. It will be helpful to develop marketing strategies and material to send to potential sponsors that will inform them of our school and program. The proposed annual Auto Racing and STEM Expo event can be developed as a fund raising platform for potential sponsors: companies, foundations and individuals to strengthen their public image by demonstrating a commitment to Racing and STEM Career development.

I look forward to your feedback

Respectfully,

Rick Gibson Richard Childress Race Car Technology Program Student at Forsyth Tech