Grand Canyon University Motorsports, the team on campus known for building racecars, just returned from the big Formula SAE competition in Michigan, and although it didn’t get the chance to race, it continues in its goal to cross the finish line of completing a vehicle cleared for competition.

The club, which got its start as a project of the campus’s chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, recently switched lanes to become a club sport. That move is huge, opening the doors to more opportunities for funding.

Another big change: Its home is no longer under the ramp of the university’s 33rd Avenue parking structure.

“How many times did I hit my head on the fire suppression (system)?” said Davis Wright, a junior mechanical engineering major.

It now operates out of the College of Engineering and Technology garage, which are three large shipping containers adjacent to Building 1.

Those are just a few of the strides the club took after attending Formula SAE Michigan recently in Brooklyn, Michigan, where 107 registered teams of university undergraduate and graduate students vied for a spot on the racetrack – the Michigan International Speedway – after spending the past academic year conceiving, designing, fabricating and developing small, formula-style racecars.

Despite not advancing past the preliminary rounds, the team beat other notable university teams in those early sessions; it was the furthest GCU Motorsports has progressed in the Formula SAE (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers) competition.

Back from the big show in Michigan, “Now we can actually tackle the more nitty-gritty of the engineering side of these cars,” said Grant Garcia, a senior mechanical engineering major.

That means building a sturdy foundation, from setting a project management template, to establishing a system that enables new members to step into their roles more easily, to a detailed web design model.

“Once we make it to competition, it will help us move up in rank because we’ll be able to have a more presentable design presentation or a well-built cost report for cost competition,” Garcia said.

The GCU contingent, led by former president Tyler Palanuk, Wright (the powertrain lead) and Garcia (the incoming club president), had the chance to visit with more than 600 representatives from U.S. colleges and foreign countries at the Formula SAE event.

Judges examined each university team’s designs, which those teams support with data, simulations, and production and mass production cost estimates.

Wright and Garcia appreciated the support they received from judges and several universities, including Arizona State, to put the club in a better spot to succeed next year.

“All of us gain so much knowledge that now we have the ability to not just pass down this knowledge to people below us, but kind of build the foundation so we’re a lot stronger and more well equipped for the next year,” Wright said. “… I think our new goal is accomplishing all these other tasks so that now we can ideally start rising up in the ranking after we go through competition.”

Paul Lambertson, College of Engineering and Technology dean and GCU Motorsports’ supervisor, remembers some of the team’s challenges. He met several times with Palanuk to “try to restart the engine of a great team,” he said.

“When you think about how the team got through all of the technical challenges and was only a few minutes, maybe a few seconds, shy of getting actually through that last challenge and getting onto the racetrack, that’s huge,” Lambertson said. “And so looking at that, building on that this year, I see really great things happening for the team.”

Club leaders encourage team members to attend workshops that will help them use machinery and other equipment and allow them more access to working on the car. They’re also receptive to input from students with project management backgrounds.

“I can’t tell you how many people are in that club that don’t know about cars,” said Wright, who has worked as a professional mechanic for the last two years. “And that’s totally fine, because at the end of the day, you can boil these down to some basic engineering principles and then just kind of focus on those. And then through focusing on those, you start to learn how cars work.

“… Also, we don’t expect new members to hit the ground knowing exactly how to time an engine. I try to really divert my focus into teaching people how these basic systems of car work in the most simplest of form so they can try to have a baseline understanding of where they can pair that with some newly acquired engineering knowledge to help integrating themselves into whatever subsystem team they want – whether that’s electrical or powertrain or aerodynamics.”

There’s motivation from current members and incentive from prospective members hanging in the front of the College of Engineering and Technology Building. Hovering over the conference table in the front corner is last year’s race car structure, powder coated in GCU purple.

“Whenever I give tours, I point out that car,” Lambertson said.

Shining that spotlight on the racecar, built by students, is intentional.

Said Lambertson, “There’s all of this stuff that we’re trying to do to build momentum to help make the team successful.”

GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]

***

Related content:

GCU News: Canyon Motorsports makes pit stop to debut race car

GCU News: Engineering shops, clubs show what they can do

Connor Zilisch is one of the brightest prospects in NASCAR right now and Trackhouse Racing has been working to get the 18-year-old experience in a Cup car while he competes for the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.

With sponsorship from Red Bull, he made his Cup debut at COTA, driving the No. 87 Chevrolet. Zilisch showed impressive pace, qualifying 14th before being collected in a mid-race crash with teammate Daniel Suarez, finishing 37th. He managed to complete 49 of 95 laps before the incident.

Zilisch returned for his oval debut in NASCAR’s longest race, qualifying 33rd for the Coca-Cola 600. He was involved in a mid-race incident with Jimmie Johnson, spinning, but he escaped with only minor damage. Zilisch soldiered on to finish 23rd while teammate Ross Chastain captured the checkered flag.

Connor Zilisch, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota, Cole Custer, Haas Factory Team Ford

Photo by: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

And now, Trackhouse has revealed two additional Cup races for Zilisch this year where they will again field a fourth entry. His next race will be June 28 at Atlanta, which was recently renamed EchoPark Speedway as part of a seven-year branding deal. He will also run the August 10 Cup race at Watkins Glen, which is the site of his first Xfinity win.

“It’s awesome to have the opportunity to race two more times in the NASCAR Cup Series,” said Zilisch in a release from the team. “Nothing beats experience in this sport, especially at the Cup level. Thanks to everyone at Red Bull and Trackhouse for this opportunity.”  

Zilisch currently sits fifth in the regular season standings for the NASCAR Xfinity Series, despite suffering a minor back injury after crashing from the lead at Talladega that forced to miss the Texas Xfinity race while he recovered. Zilisch already locked himself into the playoffs via a win at COTA earlier this year. He’s also improving on ovals, earning back-to-back runner-up finishes at Charlotte and Nashville.

As NASCAR makes its historical return to Mexico City, DGM Racing and Ryan Ellis are proud to announce additional races with Tablo TV, a subscription-free over-the-air (OTA) DVR and streaming device. Tablo TV is redefining its sponsorship with Ellis and DGM Racing’s No. 71 Chevrolet by adding an in-car camera at each primary-sponsored race, including Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Kansas Speedway, and Talladega Superspeedway during the NASCAR Playoffs.

NASCAR’s return to Mexico City has generated buzz internationally, and Tablo TV looks forward to rejoining forces with Ellis and increasing access for race fans with an in-car camera at one of the most anticipated events of the season. Inspired by Mexico City’s vibrant and colorful communities, Tablo TV has modified its traditional car design to include brighter brand colors.

“We’re thrilled to team up again this season with Ryan Ellis and his amazing crew for the NASCAR Xfinity race in Mexico City, held at the legendary F1 circuit. With Tablo TV, fans won’t miss a second of the action, including exclusive in-car camera coverage that puts you right in the driver’s seat. This will be one of the most exciting live TV moments of the season, and we couldn’t ask for better partners than Ryan and his DGM team to bring the thrill of the race to living rooms everywhere.”