“It’s not like a class where my professor says, ‘Here’s a slide, go do something with that information,’” Kaster says. “I actually get to apply real-world aspects of engineering by helping build a race car.”

Another member of the vehicle dynamics team, senior Jaeden Parker, oversees the suspension and the anti-roll bar (ARB), both of which play a big role in the car’s handling.

“I’m responsible for overall suspension geometry,” Parker says. “That essentially affects how well the car can handle, making sure the tires have the most consistent force between all of them, and using things like springs and dampers to make sure that happens.”

A consensus among drivers at the collegiate and pro level is that tires are the most important part of a race car, providing grip, traction and control to navigate the track at high speeds.

“Obviously, without tires, you can’t go anywhere,” senior Nick Campbell says. “The awesome thing about our tires is that we are one of the few universities to incorporate carbon fiber in them.”

Campbell, who is part of the electronics team and is responsible for the steering wheel and sensors, recognizes the importance of crafting the best version of wheels possible, especially with a material like carbon fiber.

“Carbon fiber is lightweight, is a lot stronger than aluminum, which is what other teams use in their builds, and also helps improve braking and handling,” Campbell says. “Our chassis is built of carbon fiber, too.”

This emphasis on advanced materials like carbon fiber helps push the team’s engineering skills to their limits.

“Our carbon wheels are the most complex part of the car to build,” Maddox says. “The mold was designed by one of our graduate students, and he stuck around for another four years to complete it in-house. It’s not something easy to do.”
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The team’s carbon fiber wheels is a staple of its build, and gets constant attention and awe from other Formula SAE when competition arrives.
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While many components of the car, including the tires, are complex and striking in design, the team ensures that the build process remains approachable for every member.

“We take a lot of pride in what we do, and it’s more about the experience than spending a lot of money to improve our build,” senior Dang Nguyen says. “We don’t want people to feel like they’re putting together pieces of a massive LEGO set; we want them to feel comfortable.”

Compared to traditional building materials in race cars like aluminum, fiberglass and steel, carbon fiber stands out for its flexibility, race-day durability and corrosion resistance, helping extend the life of not just the chassis but the tires as well.

Building with such advanced materials demands collaboration and countless hours of hands-on work, and it’s a challenge the team meets together.

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Weekly Work And Testing

Throughout the year, every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m., and again on Saturday at 9 a.m., all members gather for a brief meeting before dispersing into the engineering complex to work on the car.

Sometimes, the team works into the next morning, spending at least 30 or more hours a week laboring over each component of the vehicle.

It’s a hive of craftsmanship, hard work and resourcefulness, as each subgroup is a crucial piece of the puzzle, working side by side to shape the car from scratch.

No outside help, just ingenuity, sweat and teamwork.

“I am in charge of the bill of materials, which is essentially a huge document that lists all of the components that we make and buy throughout the year,” Maddox says. “Practically every part that is on that document is made by hand by students.”

While anyone is welcome to join the team, most members are juniors and seniors who take it as part of their engineering capstone course.

The project serves as a culmination of everything they’ve learned over their collegiate careers and a chance to see their ideas take shape in the form of a fully functioning race car.

However, before members can see the car take shape, months must pass before it’s ready to compete against other universities, which is when the team conducts testing.

Testing typically begins in May, once the car is fully assembled after hundreds of hours of meticulous work in the engineering shop.

The team sets aside time for practice and smaller-scale testing, and one key component of this is the use of go-karts to familiarize students with seating positions, handling and the fundamentals of vehicle dynamics without the risks or pressure of a full-speed race car.
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This go-kart, one of several the team uses for testing, makes it easier for students to acclimate themselves to the rigors of driving a race car.
------------------------------------------------------------------“My favorite memory so far was the day we took the go-kart out for the first time,” Grenier says. “I wasn’t expecting it to rip as hard as it did, and it really put a big smile on my face. That was probably my greatest memory so far.”

With university approval, the team rolls the go-karts and eventually the race car out to a parking lot on the west side of campus, where a few chosen members take turns behind the wheel, putting the vehicle’s most critical functions to the test.

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The absolute best way to pick a driver is not by their status or position in the team hierarchy but by all members of the team first practicing
to get the feel of the car, and then running laps for time against each other to see who goes the fastest.
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Testing is the primary way the team evaluates how its MoTeC (Motor Technology) and suspension setup perform.

The MoTeC system works like the car’s brain, managing the engine, traction and data logging so the team can calibrate performance and keep the car running at its best.

Suspension setup fine-tunes the car, adjusting elements like ride height, camber, toe and spring rates to keep the car balanced and responsive. These adjustments improve handling and traction while helping the car adapt to different track conditions.

Together, these systems enable the team to monitor and adjust nearly every aspect of the car’s dynamics, and their reliability, adaptability and precision make them essential tools in the high-stakes environment of racing.

Heading To Competition

After testing wraps and the data is analyzed, the JMS team makes its final adjustments and refinements before heading to the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, for the annual Formula SAE competition. This year’s competition spans five days, starting June 17 and ending June 21.
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Getting to competition takes months of hard work and dedication, and the JMS team is always proud when they’re able to showcase and roll the car out for the first time in front of opponents.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------The Formula Society of Automotive Engineers challenges teams of students to imagine, design, build and race their own small formula-style cars, each team working through a full cycle of design, fabrication and preparation for competition.

The vehicles are evaluated through a mix of static events, such as cost analysis, design reviews and presentations, and dynamic events including performance trials and endurance runs.

The process gives students a real taste of what it takes to go from concept to competition, with over one hundred universities from all over the world coming to test their mettle.

“It’s not just a U.S. competition,” Maddox says. “There are Spanish, Singaporean, Japanese and German teams, and it really gives you a perspective on how hard people are working.”

JMS enters this season hungry for redemption, as it brought a car to last year’s Formula SAE, but did not compete.

“Last year’s team went to competition, but they did not ever track the car there due to technical and mechanical problems,” Maddox says. “We want to prove everything that last year’s team has done.”

Each day is packed with rigorous tests as each car is evaluated under the sharp eyes of judges with engineering degrees and years of hands-on experience in the automotive industry.

Before any engines roar to life, each car undergoes a detailed technical inspection to ensure it meets the strict standards of the FSAE rulebook, a document exceeding more than 140 pages.

It’s an exhaustive but necessary process, with judges inspecting components such as aerodynamics, batteries and braking to ensure no team gains an unfair advantage.