Moonbuggy, 2014
A year ago I detailed the moonbuggy: Ryan’s Southern Illinois University senior design project. As you may recall SIU came home with the Design award; the most coveted recognition and one never achieved by SIU before.
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/gt40-build-logs/22083-chuck-ryans-rcr-build-46.html#post406522
The buggy was designed by and the majority of the construction was completed by Ryan in our garage. SIU provided little support, requiring Ryan to seek funding sources and technical support outside the university. It was trailered to the competition in our Cobra / GT40 trailer to avoid having to reimburse the university for the use of an SIU vehicle from the teams limited resources.
What a difference a year makes.
SIU took the award achieved last year and turned it into part of an advertising campaign. SIU posted billboards throughout Illinois, some of which carry the slogan “Our other car is an award winning moonbuggy.”
This year the financing was much better. Two buggies arrived in a custom trailer with the SIU engineering logo emblazoned on the side.
This year’s team built a new buggy. The new buggy built by SIU followed the same general design parameters established by Ryan in last year’s buggy.
This past weekend the race was held at the NASA facility in Huntsville.
Both last year’s buggy and the new buggy were entered by SIU. Having already won the design competition, last year’s buggy was no longer eligible for that award. But it could still compete on the race course.
Remember this is a competition where colleges from around the world participate. Germany, England, India, other countries and many US universities are represented. Around 90 teams participate.
At the race track this past weekend Ryan’s buggy came in second place.
But it gets better. The new buggy built by the SIU team came in third place.
What started as Ryan’s senior design project, designed on a computer in his bedroom and built primarily in our garage, has now put SIU’s engineering department on the map. Watch for the advertising that will undoubtedly follow on the heels of this victory.
A picture of last years buggy on its way to a second place victory this year is attached.
Okay. Back to the GT now.
A year ago I detailed the moonbuggy: Ryan’s Southern Illinois University senior design project. As you may recall SIU came home with the Design award; the most coveted recognition and one never achieved by SIU before.
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/gt40-build-logs/22083-chuck-ryans-rcr-build-46.html#post406522
The buggy was designed by and the majority of the construction was completed by Ryan in our garage. SIU provided little support, requiring Ryan to seek funding sources and technical support outside the university. It was trailered to the competition in our Cobra / GT40 trailer to avoid having to reimburse the university for the use of an SIU vehicle from the teams limited resources.
What a difference a year makes.
SIU took the award achieved last year and turned it into part of an advertising campaign. SIU posted billboards throughout Illinois, some of which carry the slogan “Our other car is an award winning moonbuggy.”
This year the financing was much better. Two buggies arrived in a custom trailer with the SIU engineering logo emblazoned on the side.
This year’s team built a new buggy. The new buggy built by SIU followed the same general design parameters established by Ryan in last year’s buggy.
This past weekend the race was held at the NASA facility in Huntsville.
Both last year’s buggy and the new buggy were entered by SIU. Having already won the design competition, last year’s buggy was no longer eligible for that award. But it could still compete on the race course.
Remember this is a competition where colleges from around the world participate. Germany, England, India, other countries and many US universities are represented. Around 90 teams participate.
At the race track this past weekend Ryan’s buggy came in second place.
But it gets better. The new buggy built by the SIU team came in third place.
What started as Ryan’s senior design project, designed on a computer in his bedroom and built primarily in our garage, has now put SIU’s engineering department on the map. Watch for the advertising that will undoubtedly follow on the heels of this victory.
A picture of last years buggy on its way to a second place victory this year is attached.
Okay. Back to the GT now.
