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Motorsports Day Focuses on Fast at Indiana University

Photo: Allan Brewer

IUPUI Hosts Open-Wheel Series Shared Show-Time

Learning Curve Takes On New Meaning in This Classroom

Racers and race cars took precedence on a school day when Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) held its second annual Motorsports Day on the school’s campus Friday, October 6th.

Champ Car and Indy Car shared the stage together to promote the cause of motorsports education.

Champ Car World Series driver Katherine Legge talked to students and prospective motorsports careerists about the importance of technical education and her move up the ranks into one of the two major open-wheel series in America. Legge just completed her first full season in Champ Car in 2006, and holds the distinction of highest-placed female finisher ever.

Also on hand were Australian Sprint Car and Indy Pro Series driver Veronica “Ronnie” McCann; Scott Elkins, director of technology for Champ Car World Series; and Jeff Horton, director of engineering for the Indy Racing League.

Students and fans drifted among the exhibits during the mid-day display of the Indy Car series two-seater, several Target/Chip Ganassi Racing racecars, and a cut-away version of the new Champ Car DP01. Other cars available for viewing and first-hand introduction included a USAC midget and the real racing SCCA sports car built by Mechanical Engineering students at IUPUI.

Among the displays was a static model of the new Honda 3.5 Liter V-8 that will power the Indy Car series using a one hundred percent ethanol fuel in 2007.

Last year’s Motorsports Day was a private affair for the students already enrolled in the program. Sebastian Bourdais visited and gave them his own first-hand account of a racer’s path to success in this field.

IUPUI has been linked to the Panther Racing Indy Pro Series effort next season. The Motorsports Engineering program would provide student interns to Panther as staff for the car, and other university departments would lend a hand in all the aspects of running a team such as marketing, public relations, finance, logistics and supply.

On hand were several IUPUI students who are enrolled in the ME program and had an opportunity to serve internships with race teams such as Panther in the Indy Racing League, and Champ Car teams over the past three seasons.

The 26 hour certificate program allows students to obtain the certificate separately or as part of a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology.

For more information on the Motorsports Engineering opportunities at IUPUI see the school’s website:

IUPUI Motorsports: Higher and Faster Education

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis is an urban campus in downtown Indianapolis that serves nearly thirty thousand students each year. Its role in the community is deeply rooted, with estimates that one in ten citizens in the metropolitan area have taken at least a class or graduated from the institution.

Furthermore, it offers more degrees in more areas of study than any other institution of higher learning in the state, including the main campus of IU in Bloomington.

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