Panther Racing 2009-2010
Welcome to the University of Pittsburgh Panther Racing official website. This year Panther Racing placed 22nd out of 120 registered teams at the Formula SAE competion held at Michigan Internation Speedway. The team overcame many tough obstacles and countless hours at the shop and proved to be a competitive team at competition. We'd like to thank all our sponsors and the engineering school for the support they have given us throughout the year. We are excited for next season and look forward to another great year with Panther Racing here at Pitt.
If you are interested in joining the team please visit the Contact Us page for more information and for Sponsorship opportunities please visit the Sponsors page.
News
June 14, 2009: Panther Racing just enjoyed a fantastic weekend at BeaveRun's CarFest this weekend. BeaveRun allowed us to have full access to the kart track for 2 days of great nonstop driving.
June 9, 2009: New team captains have been chosen and we are underway with the design for the 09-10 car. Check back often for more updates.
May 19, 2009: Thanks to SAE, Michigan International Speedway, and to all our sponsors we had a great competition this year. We placed 22nd out of 120 registered teams and are pleased with our improvement over previous years. Check out photos from competition here.
May 12, 2009: After much testing and countless late nights at the shop we have worked out the kinks and are ready to head to Michigan. We hope to have a great time and for our best finish yet.
April10, 2009: Panther Racing has worked through the Spring and finished the car for testing before the competition at Michigan International Speedway in May.
January 14, 2009: There is a new meeting time and place. This semester meetings will be held at 6:00 PM in the 6th floor conference room in Benedum.
January 13, 2009: The chassis is approximately 2/3 tacked and the a-arms are almost finished. The bodywork plugs have been completed thanks to Advanced Pattern Works. The plugs look great and we are expecting to recieve them at the beginning of next week.
December 5, 2008: Chassis construction is underway along with suspension arms and threaded inserts. Differential housing, differential mounts, front and rear hubs, and the spindles have been sent to the machine shop for fabrication.
October 12, 2008: A new sponsorship for the fabrication of our bodywork plugs was acquired. Elliot Company of Indianapolis graciously provided foam for our nose and side pod plugs. Advanced Pattern Works will donate the CNC time to fabricate the plugs. We hope this will cut down on manufacturing time while increasing the aesthetics of Car 29.
September 5, 2008: Chassis and suspension design is fully underway. We are looking at using direct loading shocks in the front and rear in an attempt to simplify overall design.
August 19, 2008: Design is underway. Panther Racing is utilizing Virtual 4-Stroke along with CFDesign to design the intake. Our hope is to produce it via modern rapid prototyping processes utilizing a product innovation lab on campus
August 8, 2008: A 2007-2008 Honda CBR600RR crate engine was purchased. This new purchase is the first step in solving our problems with passing fuel economy.
June 15, 2008: New team leaders were chosen for chassis, engine, drivetrain, ergonomics, and business. Design will begin immediately.
May 18, 2008: Panther Racing places 32nd of 120 at Formula SAE at Michigan International Speedway. Unfortunately due to the failure of fuel economy our hopes for a top 20 finish were not met. Active steps for 2009's car will be taken to attack this problem head on.