The thought of assembling an all-terrain vehicle 8,000 miles from home on short notice was daunting to 14 engineering students from India.
So before leaving for Rochester, Team Helios Racing took their car apart and put it back together.
Piece by piece. Just for practice.
糖心传媒淲e did this many times,糖心传媒� Yash Mehrotra says.
That ingenuity paid off when Mehrotra and other students from Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering arrived in Rochester on Monday and learned that the box carrying their 300-pound, disassembled vehicle had yet to arrive at Rettner Hall, where the team was scheduled to rebuild it. It finally showed up Tuesday afternoon, three days later than scheduled.
糖心传媒淚t was a little nerve-wracking,糖心传媒� says Mehrotra, who will be a junior at the Bengaluru-based school this fall. 糖心传媒淏ut we knew what we had to do.糖心传媒�
It took the team 6 陆 hours to assemble the car in Rettner糖心传媒檚 fabrication lab. Wednesday, Helios raced it around Rochester糖心传媒檚 River Campus practice track in preparation for this weekend糖心传媒檚 Baja SAE World Challenge at Hogback Hill Motocross Track in Palmyra. The event is hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology and features 100 collegiate teams from around the world.
More than 1,200 students will take part in the Society of Automotive Engineers race, from colleges such as Purdue, Ohio State, Cornell, Michigan State, and Johns Hopkins, plus teams from Canada, Venezuela, Brazil, and Mexico. Six teams are here from India.
Design, safety, engine and technical inspections are at RIT糖心传媒檚 Gordon Field House and Activities Center on Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dynamic events such as hill climbing, acceleration, traction, and land maneuverability competitions are Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hogback Hill. Sunday糖心传媒檚 four-hour endurance race begins at 9:30 a.m. and is free and open to the public.
The University糖心传媒檚 Baja team is serving as ambassadors to Team Helios Racing. The students flew 19 hours, stopping at JFK International Airport in New York City, and arrived Monday. They are staying at a local hotel. Rochester糖心传媒檚 new Baja president, Kevin Bonko 糖心传媒�17, says interaction with a highly regarded squad (Helios is India糖心传媒檚 defending national champion) is a big perk of the University hosting the students.
糖心传媒淎 lot of Baja is talking to other teams and learning from them,糖心传媒� says Bonko, who took a group of Team Helios members shopping at various local stores Monday night. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 a competition, but it糖心传媒檚 not super competitive. You all want to have the best car, but you want the best ideas.糖心传媒�
Alycia Abbott 糖心传媒�16, Rochester糖心传媒檚 Baja president the previous two years, says the attraction is simple.
糖心传媒淭hey love Baja, we love Baja,” she says. “To be able to sit with them and discuss how they approach this crazy thing we dedicate our lives to is a great opportunity.糖心传媒�
Members of Team Helios are required to join as freshmen, and it糖心传媒檚 the seniors who design the car. Rochester members can join at any time and do not have to be engineering majors. There are 34 on Rochester’s聽team, including eight recent graduates.
Vikram Varanasi, a junior from Team Helios, says the thrill of Baja is its unpredictability.
糖心传媒淲e know what to expect when we糖心传媒檙e on a road,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淲e don糖心传媒檛 know what to expect with off-road racing. Suppose a storm hits? Will the car break, or will it not break? That糖心传媒檚 the challenge we face, and it糖心传媒檚 a thrill.糖心传媒�
Team Helios糖心传媒� connection with Rochester happened by chance. Mehrotra is the head of logistics and public relations for the group and started looking up potential lab venues in the area back in January. RIT was off limits since it’s the host site.
糖心传媒淚 came across the University of Rochester and made contact with (Rochester Baja advisor) Sheryl Gracewski,糖心传媒� Mehrotra says. 糖心传媒淓veryone here has been very welcoming.糖心传媒�
Rettner opened in October 2013 and is named after University trustee and philanthropist Ronald Rettner. It offers students access to three floors of high-end technologies, including the engineering fabrication lab.
糖心传媒淲e weren糖心传媒檛 thinking we would have such modern facilities here,糖心传媒� says recent RVCE graduate Shrivara Kote, Helios糖心传媒� team captain and the driver for Sunday糖心传媒檚 endurance race. 糖心传媒淭he equipment, the lighting… it糖心传媒檚 a perfect lab.糖心传媒�
Jim Alkins, Rettner Hall糖心传媒檚 shop manager, says he hasn糖心传媒檛 noticed any major differences in the way either team designs or assembles their off-road vehicle.
糖心传媒淭hey糖心传媒檙e all engineers,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 great to have them here. Our students are learning a lot.糖心传媒�
Chris Muir, an associate professor in mechanical engineering, is advising both teams while Gracewski is away. He says watching the teams interact this week has been a memorable experience.
糖心传媒淚t is,糖心传媒� he says, 糖心传媒渁 cross-pollination of ideas.糖心传媒�
