Rock Racing Club combines the strengths of students from a variety of majors. Students of engineering, art, marketing, finance and more work as a team to build a full-sized racecar. Their goal is to enter the finished car into a national competition.
“It’s like any professional racing team, but entirely student-run,” Nathan Sharp, sophomore and club president, said. “We need people from all walks of life to make this work.”
The organization’s main objective is to race in a competition sponsored by the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Formula SAE’s list of aesthetic and mechanical requirements guides their work.
Although Rock Racing Club is engineering focused, it is not just for engineers. According to Sharp, “two lead engineers each oversee two engineering departments, and our secretary leads other parts of the project.”
The president serves as the first lead engineer, who directs peers as they work on the drivetrain and chassis. Both of these involve mechanics required to power and move the car. The vice president is the other lead, supervising aerodynamics and suspension, which help the car stop and start properly. Members of the club recently decided that the treasurer will lead a team as well: its role is to be determined.
The club secretary directs the heads of marketing and internal affairs. Last but not least are the teams of students doing hands-on work.
The first informational meeting of the entire club will take place on Oct. 11, in room 102 of Vincent Science Center.
This is Rock Racing’s second semester on campus. They were approved by the SRSGA in March 2022.
“We bought a car and worked on it in April, but Formula SAE requires that we build our own,” Sharp said. “This will be our first year officially [working].”
