Louis Failoni, a current UW MBA student and Wyoming Motorsports’ president during
2022-23, comes around the corner in the team’s hybrid car during the endurance event
at the Formula Hybrid + Electric competition, which took place May 1-4 at the New
Hampshire Motor Speedway. Failoni completed 40 of the 44 laps in the endurance event,
a feat which only a few of the teams were able to beat. (Andrew Janecek-Oiler Photo)
The University of Wyoming’s Formula SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) team took
first place in the hybrid division at the Formula Hybrid + Electric competition at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway May 1-4.
The Wyoming Motorsports team competed against 20 teams -- four hybrid and 16 electric
cars -- from the United States and Canada. This was the team’s second trip to the
New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Louis Failoni, a current UW MBA student and Wyoming Motorsports’ president during
2022-23, says the team had an excellent showing and was able to make necessary fixes
on the fly, which showed the resolve and technical ability of the team.
“I am really proud of what the team was able to accomplish this year,” says Failoni,
of Kemmerer. “Designing and building a reliable hybrid race car is no small feat.
We had some small fixes we had to make on-site to pass the technical inspection process.
But we were able to resolve all of these issues quickly and get on track for all three
of the dynamic events.”
Wyoming Motorsports’ hybrid car participated in the design competition and technical
inspections, which included rotating the car through several inspection stations and
having all parts of the vehicle checked for safety and specification requirements.
At the first station, the hybrid car was inspected for mechanical soundness and driver
safety, according to Failoni. The vehicle was checked to make sure there is proper
clearance space between the driver’s helmet to the roll hoop. The driver also must
prove, while fully secured, that he can exit the vehicle within five seconds.
At the next station, the car’s electrical systems were inspected. Judges performed
a thorough review of the team’s documentation and reviewed a checklist of demonstrations
to ensure that safety features on the vehicle were in proper working order. Rollover
stability, noise and brake performance round out the technical inspection process.
“The technical inspection process was very thorough, and somewhat frustrating at times,
but makes the competition very safe while still allowing teams the freedom to come
up with unique and innovative designs,” says Joshua Gardner, a junior from Charleston,
S.C., majoring in mechanical engineering. Gardner is Wyoming Motorsports’ outgoing
chassis/suspension team lead and incoming powertrains team lead. “Although the rule
book puts constraints on the vehicles, it was very eye-opening to see the many ways
that other teams solved these complex problems. It goes to show that very rarely is
there only one correct answer to a problem.”
Of the four cars that entered the hybrid competition, only the Wyoming Motorsports’
car competed in the dynamic events: acceleration, autocross and endurance.
The car performed well in autocross, posting the fifth-fastest time overall, due primarily
to extra power of the hybrid drivetrain and the drivers’ skill. In the endurance event,
with Failoni behind the wheel, the Wyoming Motorsports’ car completed 40 out of 44
laps, a feat which only a few of the teams were able to beat.
The team’s strategy was to ensure the reliability of the hybrid car first before tuning
its performance, according to Quinton Royle-Grimes, a UW student from Greeley, Colo.,
majoring in mechanical engineering and Wyoming Motorsports’ outgoing vice president
of engineering.
“The experience makes you realize how much more grounded and attainable the real world
of racing is,” says Julian Amundson, a UW sophomore from Fort Collins, Colo., majoring
in mechanical engineering and Wyoming Motorsports’ incoming chassis/suspension team
lead. “At the end of the day, these race teams are made up of normal people who are
really passionate about cars and racing. I was fortunate to be one of the drivers
in the autocross and acceleration events. Even though I didn’t have much seat time
leading up to the events to practice, it was still a great experience, and I was able
to learn a lot and have a great time.”
The team also won the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Engineering
the Future Award for its adherence to good practices in race car design.
The team received positive feedback from the design judges and is optimistic moving
forward as the team looks to recruit more members and pursue more sponsors, says Riley
Milburn, a UW junior from Cheyenne majoring in mechanical engineering and the outgoing
aerodynamics team lead for Wyoming Motorsports.
“Things are looking really bright for Wyoming Motorsports,” Milburn says. “We are
in a great spot with lots of room to improve. The team is looking forward to pushing
the performance of the car even more next year. As the incoming vice president of
business, my biggest goal will be to get the team’s name out there and form new partnerships
with sponsors and the community.”
To learn more about the Wyoming Motorsports team, go to www.wyomoto.com.
