Half a mile north of Main Campus lies the Georgia Tech Student Competition Center (SCC), home to seven different racing teams run entirely by Tech students who design, build and drive cars competing in competitions all over the country. GT Motorsport, one of the teams in the SCC, returned from competition last month, having achieved an impressive feat, placing third overall from a field of 107 teams competing in the international Formula SAE Michigan competition. 

The Technique spoke with Alexander Merryman, fourth-year BA & NEUR and GT Motorsports team lead, about the work that went into attending the competition, how he views the organization that he leads and his goals for the team going forward.

Preparing for a competition like the Formula SAE Michigan took years of work and dedication from GT Motorsport’s members and their leadership team. Merryman explained that GT Motorsports operates on a two-year design cycle, meaning the work on their 2025 car, which they just returned from competition with, started in Fall 2023.

This two-year design cycle can give the team a competitive advantage over teams that operate on a one-year cycle by allowing more time for performance tests and subsequent adjustments before heading to competition. The extra time also helps handle problems with the car, which are inevitable.

Their 2025 car was finished in December, but shortly after, while the car was in storage overnight, the water used in the engine for cooling froze, expanded and cracked the car’s engine block, setting the team back several weeks.

After the repairs, GT Motorsports was able to test and configure their car until the competition in May, recording about 250 miles on the car, using the dormant Six Flags parking lot as a testing site before race day. Compared to a road car, 250 miles may not seem like a lot, but for a student-built race car, every mile is rich with valuable information that helps fine-tune the car. This amount of testing allows the team to deliver on one of their goals to have a boring competition.

“We want a boring competition, which means nothing’s going wrong,” Merryman said.“We did all the work up front that we needed to do, and we did things the right way so we could go to Michigan to compete. We have exciting moments, like when we do very well, but there’s no crazy surprise like needing to replace an engine or something.” 

During the life cycle of the car, the GT Motorsports team splits up into subsystems, each with its own area of focus for the vehicle. For example, the aerodynamic team will focus on how air flows around the car to decrease drag and increase downforce, while the chassis team will focus on the underlying framework of the car.

Naturally, each subsystem team will have its own priorities for what it would like to test in the car with limited resources, so team leaders must work together to decide what is the most valuable use of testing time to achieve the ultimate result they want. According to Merryman, this is one of the ways that their work can provide experience to those who plan to enter a similar auto manufacturing industry.

“[For] the structure of the dynamics work, the design process is similar to what you might experience somewhere else,” Merryman said. “I’m always very happy that our leads and numbers are so fantastic that they get internships.”  

Performing well at the competition this year was crucial for the team’s long-term goals, especially following a disappointing showing last year, when the team placed 60th. Merryman said that the team has historically performed fairly cyclically, earning a good result about every four years, while in other years, performance has slid. However, Merryman sees a different vision for the team.

He hopes to break this cycle and keep GT Motorsports consistently performing at the top with some of the best schools in the country. This result was the first step towards that, bouncing back from a disappointing showing the previous year and beating their top-seven performance from two years ago.

“We want to be one of the teams that is always in the top 10,” Merryman said. “If we could always win each year that would be awesome, but realistically, we always want to be in the top 10. There’s not really a reason why we shouldn’t be if we do a good job of building on our momentum.” 

Competing is not just about going the fastest; at competition, judges score the car over eight categories, including cost, design, endurance and efficiency, but more important than just getting to the competitions is staying in business. It can become very costly to manufacture, test and transport the car to competition, so GT Motorsports relies heavily on sponsors, including General Motors and Ford, who help the team afford these expenses and provide students with these skill-building experiences. 

Going forward, Merryman hopes the team will continue to build better cars, perform well at their annual competition and avoid complacency from a great result. He believes that to continue building and learning, it starts with getting the right people doing what they love.

“I think one thing I always remind myself is that it is people that build a car, and that we really do have amazing people on this team that put in a lot of work, and I’m hoping they’re seeing all their hard work pay off,” Merryman said. “I’m a strong believer in putting the right people in place first, making sure the people are happy with what they’re doing, they’re doing what they want to do, and they’re operating in the right way, and then the rest follows you.” 

If you would like to learn more or get involved with GT Motorsport, you can find their website here, www.gtms.gatech.edu and their Instagram here, @georgiatech.motorsports.

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Road closings begin later this week around Grant Park for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race July 5-6.

Balbo Drive is the first street closing, set to beging Thursday morning, from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.

The next large closing happens June 23, when Ida B. Wells Drive will be closed from Michigan Avenue to Columbus Drive.

A week later, on June 30, Columbus Drive will be closed from Jackson Drive to Roosevelt Road.

At 10 p.m. July 2, Roosevelt Road wll be shut down from Michigan to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.

Starting at 12:01 a.m. July 3, southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive closes from Randolph Street to McFetridge Drive.

At 10 p.m. July 3, northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive closes along the same stretch.

NASCAR said it cut street closings around Grant Park by nearly two weeks compared to last year, down to 25 days.

More information can be found online at www.nascarchicago.com.

A complete list of closures provided by the Transportation Department:

• Thursday – Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Full closing of Balbo Drive from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive. “No Parking” restrictions will be put in place along both directions of Columbus Drive between Jackson Drive. and Balbo Drive.
• Friday – Beginning at 12:01 a.m.: Curb lane closing on northbound and southbound Columbus Drive between Jackson Drive and Balbo Drive.
• June 23 – Beginning at 12:01 a.m.: Closing of Ida B. Wells Drive from Michigan Avenue to Columbus Drive. Westbound between Congress Plaza Drive and Michigan Avenue will remain open, and eastbound will be closed.
• June 23 – Beginning at 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. June 24: Temporary closing of northbound Michigan Avenue between Congress Plaza Drive and Jackson Drive.
• June 25 – Beginning at 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. June 26: Temporary closing of northbound Columbus Drive. between Balbo Drive and Jackson Drive.
• June 26 – Beginning at 10 p.m. Full closing of Jackson Drive between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive.
• June 27 – Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Full closing of Balbo Drive from Columbus Drive to Michigan Avenue.
• June 28 – Beginning at 10 p.m. Full closing of Congress Plaza Drive.
• June 30 – Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Full closing of Columbus Drive from Jackson Drive to Roosevelt Road. Full closing of Monroe Street from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Full closing of Jackson Drive from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
• July 2 – Beginning at 10 p.m. Full closing of westbund and eastbound Roosevelt Road from Michigan Avenue and DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Full closing of northbournd Indiana Avenue from 13th Street to Roosevelt Road.
• July 3 – Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Full closing of southbound DuSable Lake Shore Dr. between Randolph St. and McFetridge Rd. Full closure of Columbus Dr from Monroe St to Jackson Dr. Full closure of Monroe St from Michigan Ave to Columbus Dr.
• July 3 – Beginning at 10 p.m. Full shutdown of northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive between Randolph Street and McFetridge Road. Full closing of northbound and southbound Michigan Avenue from Roosevelt Road to Jackson Drive.

Race weekend closings — July 5-6

• Southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive from Randolph Street to McFetridge Drive.
• Northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive from McFetridge Drive to Randolph Street.
• Northbound Michigan Avenue from Roosevelt Road to Monroe Street.
• Southbound Michigan Avenue from south of Monroe Street to Eighth Street.
• Monroe Street from Michigan Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
• Columbus Drive from Roosevelt Rd. to Monroe Street.
• Roosevelt Road from DuSable Lake Shore Drive to Michigan Ave.
• Jackson Drive from Michigan Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
• Balbo Drive from Michigan Avenue to DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
• Ida B. Wells Drive from Michigan Avenue to Columbus Drive.
• Congress Plaza Drive from Harrison Street to Van Buren Street.
• Northbounrd Indiana Avenue from Roosevelt Road to 13th Street.
• Post Place: Entrance and exit of Lower Wacker Drive.
• Garvey Court: Entrance and exit of Lower Wacker Drive.

Calistoga Speedway, one of the west’s most storied dirt tracks, returns to competition with the Louie Vermeil Classic on Aug. 30-31 and the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame is proud to be a part of the festivities.

The half-mile speedway, located at the Calistoga Fairgrounds, will host two nights of Northern Auto Racing Club (NARC) 410 wing sprint car and United States Auto Club (USAC)/California Racing Association (CRA) 410 non-wing sprint car events.

Calistoga Speedway last hosted the Vermeil Classic in 2019, prior to its relocation to Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame is an associate sponsor of this year’s event.

The West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame also will sponsor this year’s Calistoga Hall of Fame dinner and awards, set for Aug. 29 at the Tubb Building at the fairgrounds. A maximum of six inductees will be announced later this summer.

Tickets for the Hall of Fame gala can be purchased at www.racecalistogaspeedway.com. Proceeds from a charity auction will be donated to Chase Johnson, a sprint car competitor injured in an accident at Chico’s Gold Cup race in 2024.

“As a longtime fan of Calistoga Speedway and learning of the opportunity to connect with the Louie Vermeil Classic, we jumped at the chance to become involved,” said Ken Clapp, Chairman and CEO of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame. “Having a longtime relationship with Tommy Hunt, we at the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame are looking forward to participating during the Aug. 29-31 weekend.”

“The Hunt family is honored and proud to have the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame as a sponsor of this year’s racing activities,” said Tommy Hunt, the Calistoga Speedway promoter and member of the Calistoga Speedway Hall of Fame. “We’re well on our way to the necessary improvements. People will be surprised what they see when they get here.”

WCSCHOF PR

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. confronted Carson Hocevar after a race in Mexico City.
• Hocevar spun Stenhouse on Lap 90, leading to a post-race confrontation.
• This incident follows a previous on-track clash between the two drivers at Nashville Superspeedway.

Carson Hocevar better watch his, uh, rear.