By Sierra Thornton
Wrenches are turning gears. Sparks fly from welding. Tires with “Hoosier” printed on the sides are being taken off just to be placed back on. The sound of lug nuts hitting the ground rings out. People are standing around mesmerized by the work being done on the Formula 1-style car. However, the people watching are not just anyone; they are students. The people working – those happen to be students too.
Behind Patterson Hall's doors, where students are learning about airplanes and other types of engineering, there is a race car shop. Mississippi State University offers an organization for students to design, build and race a Formula 1-style car. The Bulldog Motorsports team began in 1997 and has competed in Formula Society of Automotive Engineers competitions since.
The team is currently in the process of building their 2021 competition car. Each section of the car is split up, and students choose which section they want to work on. The different sections include aerodynamics, suspension, chassis, electrical, drivetrain, controls and powertrain.
Jhordin McDuffie, the chassis section lead, details how he established his love for cars.
"I was never interested in cars until I moved to Gulfport, Mississippi. On the Coast, we have an event called Crusin' the Coast. My mom's friend just bought his dark green '53 Volkswagen Beetle. Ever since I laid eyes on it, I knew I loved cars, especially older generation Beetles."
McDuffie went on to explain how they got involved in Bulldog Motorsports.
"I heard about Bulldog Motorsports in high school. I had a mentor on my robotics team who has been involved with Bulldog Motorsports. He encouraged me to get involved, so here I am."
A floor of concrete separates the shop and team room. Walkie-talkies are used to communicate back and forth, with the occasional sigh from someone when they lose connection on the walkie-talkie.
Some people are in the team room, designing the car on computers using software, Solidworks. The people in the shop are doing different tasks. Someone is adjusting the pedals inside of the car while Jhordin is bending pipes and rods. In another corner of the shop, two people are changing wires for the electrical section.
The controls section lead, Joseph May, is looking into the cockpit of the car directly, his section on how to adjust the car. The controls section is responsible for the interface between the driver and the vehicle. They are responsible for the seat, dashboard, pedal tray, steering, shifting, brakes, and clutch.
The electrical section lead, David Osburn, is seen running up and down the stairs from the shop to the team room, making changes to his section of the car. He is fiddling with the wiring harness for the engine. His section team is standing by his side, assisting him with anything he needs.
Osburn, turning wrenches, recalls memories from his childhood that helped get to the point he is at with his engineering.
“A memory that impacted me was scouting. I have so many memories and met so many people from different walks of life. It was amazing. I have been on trips with people I met that day, and we had fantastic times."
When Osburn isn't in the shop working on the race car, he spends his time doing woodwork. Osburn built a tiny house that he has chosen to live in while he is in college.
The car, itself, does not look anywhere near being race-ready, but the team assures that the current state is a part of the process. The car itself uses a motorcycle engine; it is that of a Honda CBR500r. The chassis has a weight of 76.73 pounds. Unlike your average, everyday car, this race car has an open cockpit and open wheel body type.
This year due to budgeting and COVID-19, the team will be competing in the FSAE West Coast Competition in Las Vegas, Nevada. From June 16-19. The competition occurs over a few days featuring several different events and teams across the country and internationally. In 2019, the competition hosted 80 Internal Combustion teams and 30 Battery Electric teams, with 1,948 participating students.
In the past, the team has competed in the FSAE Michigan competition. The best-finished team has posted 34th out of 102 competing teams in 2012. The race car for the 2021 competition will be wearing the number 55.
Each week leading up to the competition, members are working hard to test the car and get all the kinks out. The team will be working through finals and through summer break. The team will have the same hopes as everyone who travels to the sin city; they hope to win big.