UW Formula SAE: Drag Reduction System

During undergrad at the University of Washington, I was a member of our Formula SAE team. Every year, we designed and built a small open-wheel race car, and competed against other universities around the world.

As a member of the Aerodynamics Team, I developed, from scratch, a novel drag reduction system (DRS) to alter the angle of our rear wing elements, allowing us to strategically reduce the car's drag by 25% for high-speed straights, where we don't need high levels of downforce. My system was largely hidden within the wings and endplates, used the same compressed air system as our shifting system, and could be either manually actuated by the driver via a button on the steering wheel, or by the engine computer at a fixed throttle position.

We went on to win the FSAE West competition in Lincoln, NE, also winning the design judging component, and placed in the top 10 in the premier competition, Formula Student Germany.