The drivers for this event, Adam Baxter and Erik Kremsner, both noticed that the car had significantly more grip than in any testing we had done before. Both said they held back far beyond what the car was capable of on the new tires and needed a few laps to feel comfortable driving closer to the limit. Nevertheless, our autocross times were quick enough to get us into the fast group for the final endurance and land us a 30th place standing. That night the team celebrated a very successful day and the completion of first three dynamic events. But the celebration was overshadowed by anticipation for the most challenging and important event of the competition, the grueling 22 km endurance race.
Saturday, the team woke early to prep the car and scope out the course. The previous day’s wide-open autocross course favored the larger winged cars with powerful engines. In contrast, the endurance course was very tight and technical, with hairpins and chicanes that were much smaller than any found on most autocross courses. We could see immediately that our car’s relatively long 67” wheelbase and wide 54” track would be a disadvantage, but the team was confident that the talented pair of drivers, Kremsner and McDermott, would handle the situation well. And indeed they did; McDermott was posting consistent fast times that kept going down until the driver change at 11 km. Kremsner started off strong and the team was eagerly cheering him on the final few laps when the car exited a corner and suddenly rolled to a stop. Hair pulling quickly changed to a somber silence as the car was towed off course and the team began a quiet walk towards the car. Though none of the team yet knew what had happened, all knew at that moment we had lost 40 percent of the points and failed in our goal to finish endurance for the first time in 9 years. The event was an enormous disappointment for everyone on the team, but an inevitable part of racing. The team took the blow very well and an encouraging word from the team captain, Billy Rahr, reminded the team of the enormous accomplishment of simply making it into every event. In the end, only 37 of the 132 teams that entered the event finished the endurance race. A quick look at the car revealed that the aluminum differential case, made in-house at WWU, had failed after over a year of abuse. Yet another lesson learned and one we will carry on to the design of the next car, Viking 43.
The design of the team’s 2008 car is nearing completion and the team is ramping up to begin production. Sporting a lighter, stiffer composite monocoque chassis, a more powerful and advanced engine, and a smaller overall package, Viking 43 is a bold step for our team. But with nearly the entire team returning from the previous year and building off the powerful knowledge and experience gained at the Detroit event, we are aiming high. An excellent team of designers has been working through the summer to explore the many options open to us for the next car, but soon design will end and production will begin. The team has registered for the Formula SAE West event in Los Angeles next May but we hope to have the car complete and begin testing in February. We would never have been able to build the car or make it to competition without the support of our sponsors. Thank you for supporting the 2007 Western Washington University Formula SAE team!
John Furtado
2008 Team Captain
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