By Michael Yu, February 1, 2022
As the Bronco Motorsports team prepares to race towards competition, the team entered and won a competition from manufacturing company Aerodine Composites to sponsor the team on January 12. This sponsorship will help in the construction and development of the next car that will drive the team forward to the next Formula SAE Michigan competition in June.
After winning the sponsorship, Aerodine will become a platinum sponsor and donate over $15,000 and work with the Cal Poly Pomona team in building the car’s front wing, a segment that controls downforce. but which is also particularly difficult to build.
Turbocharger research and development manager Davit Apikyan, a mechanical engineering student, said he was excited about what the sponsorship brings to the team.
“It was a really big relief when we won the sponsorship. We have about 17 people in the team and each person basically does two different jobs,” Apikyan said. “We work as hard as we can and knowing that we have a something less to worry about helps us get closer to the competition.”
The sponsorship was awarded after a polling contest held on college campuses and a series of online votes held across the country. According to team members, Bronco Motorsports secured the sponsorship through the CPP community helping the team secure signings to propel them forward.
After years of working online, the team is ready to move forward with their design and build the car.
Bronco Motorsports President Ayson Mar, an Electromechanical Engineering Technology student, shared the goals the team hopes to achieve this semester.
“At the moment we are in the manufacturing phase of the car. This semester we are looking to build the car from scratch and also test the car to make sure all the components work,” said Mar. “It’s a big effort to finish the car before our competition in June.
Ahead of Formula SAE competition in Michigan, team officials also said the team hopes to qualify for the national championships in Austria this summer with their current design as well.
Since the campus transition to remote learning in March 2020, the team has had to adjust to the constant struggles the pandemic has brought, including lack of access to the team’s construction shop and the limits of practical work.
Manufacturing manager Justin Seul, a mechanical engineering student, described how COVID-19 has changed the team’s operations.
“We couldn’t go into the workshop and make or build anything. We couldn’t build anything and test whether it would work or not,” Alone said. “Being online has eliminated the in-person aspect of working on physical pieces.”
According to the team leaders, the team was able to overcome these difficulties and make the most of their time online by doing as much research and development work as possible through virtual simulations.
This year’s car will feature a fully welded steel frame, Yamaha R6 engine and self-designed suspension arms. The cars are built to win a competition but also to be accessible enough that anyone can buy the car from a car shop.
The Bronco Motorsports team has been building cars and racing since 1986. Throughout those years, the team has won a host of awards ranging from Acceleration First Prize at Formula SAE Michigan 2018 to Design Finalist at Formula SAE West in 2017.
As the 2022 FSAE competition approaches, the team is working hard to prepare. With the help of sponsorship, the team can focus on creating and testing other sections of the car.
“After hearing about the sponsorship contest, we knew we had to win it,” Mar said. allows us to focus on other parts that may require the same time and effort.”
Learn more about the Motorsports team, the campus community can visit the team website.
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