Panther Racing 2008-2009
Welcome to the University of Pittsburgh Panther Racing official website. This year Panther Racing has gone through a large transitional period, lost many members and brought in new leaders, in addition, the engineering building (and our lab) is undergoing a massive renovation. The school of engineering decided to relocate us (along with many doctoral labs) to a research facility located 25 minutes off of campus. This will require the team to be organized far beyond previous standards. Coupled with new leaders, this will be exploited to usher in a new era for Panther Racing.
News
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.