By Michael Yu, Feb. 1, 2022
As the Bronco Motorsports team prepares to race to competition, the team entered and won a contest from manufacturing company Aerodine Composites to sponsor the team on Jan. 12. This sponsorship will aid with the construction and development of the upcoming car that will boost the team forward to the upcoming Formula SAE Michigan competition in June.
After winning the sponsorship, Aerodine will become a Platinum Sponsor and donate over $15,000 and work with the Cal Poly Pomona team in the construction of the car’s front wing, a segment that controls the aerodynamic downforce but is also notably difficult to construct.
Turbocharging Research and Development Lead Davit Apikyan, a mechanical engineering student, expressed excitement over what the sponsorship brings to the team.
“It was a very big relief when we won the sponsorship. We have about 17 people on the team and each person is basically doing two different jobs,” said Apikyan. “We’re working as hard as we can and knowing that we have one less thing we have to worry about helps us get one step closer to competition.”
The sponsorship was awarded after a polling competition was conducted across college campuses and a round of online voting held across the country. According to team members, Bronco Motorsports earned the sponsorship due to the CPP community helping the team gain signatures to propel them forward.
After years of online work, the team is ready to move forward with its design and shift gears onto constructing the car.
Bronco Motorsports President Ayson Mar, an electromechanical engineering technology student, shared the goals the team hopes to reach this semester.
“Right now, we are in the manufacturing phase for the car. This semester we are looking to manufacture the car from scratch and also test the car to make sure all the components work,” said Mar. “It is a big push to finish the car before our competition in June.”
Before the Formula SAE competition in Michigan, team officials also stated that the team is hoping to qualify for the Nationals in Austria this summer with their current design as well.
Since the campus’ shift to remote instruction in March 2020, the team has had to adjust to the constant struggles the pandemic brought including lack of access to the team’s construction shop and limits to hands-on work.
Manufacturing Lead Justin Seul, a mechanical engineering student, described how COVID-19 changed the team’s operations.
“We couldn’t go into the shop and manufacture or build anything. We were unable to build anything and test if it would work or not,” said Seul. “Being online eliminated the in-person aspect of working on physical parts.”
According to team leaders, the team was able to overcome these struggles and make the most of their time online by doing as much research and development work as they could through virtual simulations.
This year’s car will feature a fully welded steel chassis, a Yamaha R6 engine and self-designed suspension arms. The cars are built to win a competition but also to be accessible enough so that any person could buy the car from an auto shop.
The Bronco Motorsports team has been building cars and competing since 1986. Throughout these years, the team has won a multitude of awards ranging from the First in Acceleration award at Formula SAE Michigan 2018 to the Design Finalist at Formula SAE West in 2017.
As the 2022 FSAE competition draws closer, the team is working hard to prepare. With the aid of the sponsorship, the team can emphasize creating and testing other sections of the car.
“After hearing about the sponsorship contest, we knew we had to win it,” said Mar. “It is a big deal for us because that front wing would have cost us a lot of time and effort, and the sponsorship lets us focus on other parts that may require the same amount of time and effort.”
To learn more about the Motorsports team, the campus community can visit the team’s website.
