Triton Racing, the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers student team representing the University of California San Diego, overcame serious obstacles to beat its all-time best performances in this year’s Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) Competition at Michigan International Speedway, providing a thrilling example of what a real-world engineering education can look like. 

Overall, the Triton team placed fourth out of 121 teams in the May 2023 event. It also notched third in the fuel efficiency category, underscoring UC San Diego’s dedication to leveraging the latest engineering innovations to facilitate environmental sustainability, overcoming some uniquely terrifying logistical hurdles in the process.

At the annual contest, held in the noted racing hub of Brooklyn, Michigan, vehicles are tested on their performance in dynamic events, which include autocross, acceleration, endurance, skidpad, and fuel efficiency. Teams are also separately assessed on their performance in design and cost efficiency, in which they explain their design and manufacturing decisions to industry experts. 

The immersive Triton Racing experience prepares students well for future career opportunities. The team has sent alumni to Tesla Motors, Rivian Automotive, Mercedes-AMG F1, Honda Performance Development, Hyundai Technical Center and other prestigious roles on the front lines of automotive innovation.

Triton Racing is a student-led engineering team which works to design and manufacture a formula-style car in the span of one year. That would be a taxing challenge under the best possible circumstances, and this year’s were far from optimal.

“I knew that being a part of this would help shape me into a well-rounded engineer,” said Joseph Pallan, the president of Triton Racing and a student in mechanical engineering at UC San Diego. “The rigors and demanding nature of competitive racing required us to develop resilience, discipline and a relentless pursuit of excellence.”

Keen observational skills honed through months of balancing the demands of racing with their educational commitments helped the racers foresee and avoid a potentially disqualifying disaster. With days to go before the scheduled departure, the Jacobs School of Engineering students observed that the car’s engine control unit (ECU), an essential data logger, had a bent USB port, requiring them to secure a new one from a Los Angeles eBay listing with maximum urgency. 

Then, as the team towed its 8,000-pound trailer across Southern California, they realized to their horror that their vehicle was conspicuously inadequate to the challenge of the full 2,300-mile trek. With three days until the starting signal, they stopped in Las Vegas and scrambled to obtain a suitable vehicle. When they did, they continued nonstop to Michigan, making it just under the wire, in time for their real adventure to begin.

It takes strong team camaraderie to collaborate in such an intensive engineering challenge, much less survive a cross-country road trip. 

“The lifelong friendships made during competition are invaluable,” said William Hulett, the team’s technical director and a mechanical engineering major. “The shared passion and the countless hours spent working together as a team have created bonds that foster a brilliant work environment. You spend an entire year working on this car, from high level design to putting together nuts and bolts. All that time amounts to just four days of competition, where you’re put to the test in defending the design, the car’s ultimate performance and reliability, and the relationships between members. It’s a test that sometimes pushes you beyond your limit, but ultimately makes you a more capable and innovative individual.”

Even without added logistical challenges, the physical and sensory racing experience itself can be taxing.

Jack Hecker, Triton Racing’s president during the 2023 competition, and a lifelong racing enthusiast who learned to work on cars throughout his childhood, was one of two endurance drivers on the team along with Hulett, with each driver taking half of a 22-kilometer distance in the shortest time possible. Hecker drove the 8th fastest endurance stint overall alongside another notable 8th place skidpad performance by former aerodynamics lead Justin Chen.

“Piloting the car to make eleven kilometers go by as quickly as possible is far from a leisurely experience,” Hecker said. “[It’s] a whole-body experience that demands complete focus and keen intuition to rise above the competition,” likewise, “The steering action needed to control the car at its limit requires nearly instantaneous movements of the steering wheel, which, over the endurance distance, can cause varying degrees of upper body muscle fatigue depending on the track layout and individual.” 

Despite these myriad difficulties, or more likely because of them, Triton Racing achieved its highest finish since the team’s inception in 1997.

Next year, the team will transition from gas-powered internal combustion (IC) cars to developing an electric vehicle (EV). With an emphasis on green practices and sustainability, they endeavor to empower the next generation of motorsport engineers with the skills needed for a rapidly changing energy landscape. Design and procurement are already in progress thanks to a sponsorship from UC San Diego’s Green Initiative Fund, with a goal of competing in the 2024 FSAE EV competition.

“UC San Diego's culture of sustainability and social responsibility has encouraged us to thinkbeyond the boundaries of tradition,” Pallan said. “The university's emphasis on making a positive impact in society has motivated us to address global challenges and contribute to the betterment of communities. This shift represents a departure from nearly twenty-six years of internal combustion development, highlighting our commitment to embrace innovative technologies and pursue greater objectives.”

More information about the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Competition is available at fsaeonline.com.

Members of Triton Racing, the University of California–San Diego’s student-led auto-racing team, were facing a roadblock in early 2022: The 25-member team had no access to suitable cars for driver testing because their race cars needed some crucial replacement parts. This meant that its drivers would not be able to train and prepare for the team’s annual Formula SAE design competition in May. But their luck changed on a visit to nearby Lake Elsinore for a Sports Car Club of America autocross event, where they encountered a supplier that could help them access the parts they needed: GKN Additive (Forecast 3D), a digital manufacturer of advanced plastic and metal 3D-printed parts.

Triton Racing allows students to gain hands-on knowledge and apply classroom theory in a real-world setting. It is dedicated to the design, fabrication, and testing of an open-wheel race car for the annual Formula SAE competition in Michigan. 

According to the team’s electrical lead, Sam Green, two intake plenums on cars from previous years had developed cracks, leaving the team with no suitable cars for driver testing while they were assembling the current year’s car. Without the plenums, the process of refurbishing these vehicles would be too costly to undertake.

“Our previous method of manufacturing intake plenums, in which the part was printed from ABS [acrylonitrile butadiene styrene] and then laid up with carbon, led to part failure within a year of manufacture,” Green says. “We had no better options for printing in-house, and an alternative manufacturing method of resin-printing was cost-prohibitive.” 

In addition to the intake plenums, the Triton Racing team needed a new restrictor. They also found that their pedal faces for the current-year car, slated to be machined from aluminum, would be difficult to manufacture in-house. So the team opted for a 3D-printed part to save manufacturing time and cut component weight. 

According to Green, “The extent of our 3D- printing capabilities had been with an FDM printer, and printed parts would then be laid up with carbon. The manufacturing of these components was marred by the poor layer adhesion inherent in the printer and the difficulty in laying up parts with complex surface geometry, which often resulted in parts being damaged in manufacturing. Additionally, we had frequent failure of the parts after installation, leading to lost time for the team.” 

Luckily the team was able to secure the parts it needed from GKN Additive (Forecast 3D), which manufactured the intake plenums, restrictor, and pedal faces, and became a Triton Racing sponsor. 

As it happens, the two organizations have similar roots. Triton Racing started in 1997 with a small group of dedicated students working in a garage at UC San Diego. GKN Additive (Forecast 3D) also traces its origins to a Southern California garage (but in 1994). Formerly known as Forecast 3D, Europe-based GKN Powder Metallurgy acquired the company in 2019. 

Green’s role involved finishing and compiling the designs, ensuring the accuracy of the parts, and applying them to the car. He also acted as the main liaison between Triton Racing and GKN Additive (Forecast3D). 

The team had previously ordered a part from another manufacturer but found the process very hands-off. The manufacturer of the part was located overseas, which also resulted in long lead times and expensive shipping. Team members had also considered using an online vendor and had previously used the 3D printing machines available through UC San Diego. 

“It was much nicer to have a relationship with the manufacturer when working with GKN Additive (Forecast 3D) and to have access to knowledgeable staff to answer any questions,” Green says. “GKN Additive (Forecast 3D) has a broad team of knowledgeable employees who are willing to help us achieve our goals. They were very helpful in assisting our team with selecting the proper material and manufacturing process to produce our parts. Our team has had very little experience with additive manufacturing in the past, so they were able to guide us through the process.” 

With the help of GNK Additive (Forecast 3D), Triton Racing was able to compress its manufacturing timeline and improve the quality and reliability of the FSAE car. Beyond that, GKN Additive (Forecast 3D) offered a range of materials and manufacturing options not previously available to the team; the sponsorship also allowed parts to be made at a price far below other vendors. And unlike Triton Racing’s previous supplier of 3D-printed parts, GKN Additive (Forecast 3D) is located about 20 miles away from UC San Diego in Carlsbad, Calif. 

GKN Additive (Forecast 3D) ended up providing several parts: 

Three pedals — clutch, brake, and throttle — produced using Direct Metal Laser Sintering 

Intake plenum (produced using HP Multi Jet Fusion) 

Restrictor (produced using HP Multi Jet Fusion) 

A plenum-restrictor combination (produced using HP Multi Jet Fusion) 

The result: The Triton Racing team came in eighth overall at its FSAE competition at the Michigan International Speedway in May. 

Green concludes, “With the help of GNK Additive (Forecast 3D), UCSD Triton Racing has been able to easily expedite our manufacturing timeline and improve the quality and reliability of our FSAE car.”