First-year Alfred State motorsport students work with brand new race cars

VIDEO:  Prepping Race Cars for the Track

From Alfred State,

First-year students in Alfred State’s motorsports program worked with brand new Cobra and Daytona kit cars to ensure they were race ready. Students had a week to inspect, test, and ensure that these Winners Circle Project vehicles were ready for the track.

Photo Gallery: Motorsports Kit Car Collaboration

“Six different high schools participated in the Winners Circle Project this year,” commented Freshmen Motorsports Trades Instructor Caryl Koch. “After the high school build the cars, our motorsports students go through the cars and check ever single nut and bolt to make sure there is no leaks and that the cars are safe to drive.”

Alfred State students had one week to do thorough inspections and repairs to the cars before they are sent to professional race car driver Chris Dyson. Dyson will race the cars at Lime Rock Park (Salisbury, CT) and each car is evaluated.

“The Winners Circle Project was born with just one high school and one team. They found out we had a motorsports program and needed somebody to check over the cars to ensure they were safe after the high schools built them. We have been doing this since day one and it has just been getting better and better every year.”

David Cheng is a first-year motorsport student that worked on a Purple Daytona Coupe. “We have a checklist of everything that the other schools should have put together. We are looking it all over before it gets sent out for the race.”

Working on a Black Cobra, Kwabena Amaning-Kwarteng was impressed from his first sight of the car. “When we first got the cars, we all were fascinated with how fantastic they looked. My favorite part about this project was running the cars. It feels like we have come a long way (this year) from just learning electrical systems to working on V8, V10’s, and V12’s.”

“It is really neat that these cars are going to go out and be raced by Chris Dyson,” added Cheng. “I have enjoyed working on the cars and seeing all the cool technology that is applicable for a race.”

Koch continued, “This is a cool event, and our students have a whole bunch of fun getting to work on expensive cars in their college class. It is their first experience getting into a car and doing a full check on a brand-new car and making sure it is ready to hit the racetrack.”

Winners Circle Project Cars:
Roosevelt High School: Black Cobra
Waverly High School: Pink Daytona Coupe
Dover High School: Orange Cobra
Ketcham High School: Purple Daytona Coupe
John Jay High School: Green Cobra
Owego High School: Red Daytona Coupe

To learn more about the Winners Circle Project visit: https://winners-circle.org/

About the Winners Circle Project:
The Winners Circle Project is a non-profit organization which has been meticulously designed to inspire young, innovative minds through a project-based STEAM program embedded in the exciting world of car racing. Through our work the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and math come alive for our students on, and beyond the race track!