Our Crowdfunding Groups
Who are we?
UT SAE is an interdisciplinary student organization well known for our Collegiate Design Series™ (CDS) teams that offer members the opportunity to challenge themselves and gain hands-on experience invaluable to their professional development.
Our two active CDS teams, Longhorn Racing and Longhorn Racing Electric, design, build, and race a formula-style race car at an intercollegiate competition called Formula SAE® (FSAE). FSAE was founded by Dr. Ronald D. Matthews here at the University of Texas at Austin in 1981, and it has become the world's largest intercollegiate student design competition with more than 600 teams from 50 countries designing, fabricating, and competing a new FSAE racecar every year.
Longhorn Racing has been competing in the internal combustion engine class at FSAE for 35 years, but Longhorn Racing Electric will be competing at FSAE Lincoln for the first time in June of 2017. Formula SAE cars are built to rigorous technical specifications from scratch, and reach top speeds of 80 mph (not due to lack of power but due to optimizing the tradeoff between top speed and acceleration). Teams are judged by their design presentation, cost report, business sales pitch, and their performance on the race track.
Why are we renovating the SAE trailer?
Since UT SAE will have two teams at FSAE Lincoln in 2017, we will have to bring nearly twice as much equipment. The trailer will need to hold an additional racecar, and Longhorn Racing Electric will need its own spare sets of slick and rain tires, battery charging equipment, and spare parts.
The trailer is also used at competition as a portable garage, and the trailer will become a workspace for both teams to adjust their cars or make any repairs.
What exact improvements will be made?
We are going to add shelving all along the left side of the trailer, as well as build mounts to hold aerodynamic elements above where the cars go. We will also build a welding table and install a vice to create a temporary workspace for competition. These improvements will allow us to take both teams to competition with one trailer.
We are going to improve the aesthetics of the trailer as well. We will fix minor cosmetic damage, wrap the outside panels with our Longhorn Racing logo, and buy a flagpole. Our team has had trouble finding our trailer at competition because it looks just like everyone else's. Our trailer should look like it belongs to a group of students who bleed burnt orange.
The trailer design is not finalized but a mock-up is shown below. All the names of the donors who raised money to purchase the trailer will stay.
Cost Breakdown:
As a Friend of UT SAE, you will receive our Monthly E-newsletter "The Pitstop"
Member Supporters will receive a Longhorn Racing Bumper sticker and the perks of the lower levels.
Project Supporters will receive a Longhorn Racing 4x6 team photo and the perks of the lower levels.
Bronze Supporters will have their name listed on the trailer and the perks of the lower levels.
Your name will be listed as a Silver Supporter on the trailer, you will receive a Longhorn Racing T-shirt and the perks of the lower levels.
Your name will be listed as a Gold Supporter on the trailer, you will receive a signed 8 by 10 photo of the team, and the perks of the lower levels.
Your name will be listed as a Platinum Supporter on the trailer, you will receive a Longhorn third brake light and the perks of the lower levels.
