Tyler Sekosan
Team Captain
Why did you join the team?
I wanted a chance to do some legitimate engineering design and compete nationally, and SAE was the perfect opportunity. I competed in the Solar Car Challenge in high school, which introduced me to big engineering projects and racing. Also seeing BX60-1 running (or any SAE car, really) is a sure-fire way to get almost anyone interested.
What is your favorite part about being on the team?
Definitely being able to work with a lot of really smart and dedicated people. It takes a ton of time and effort to learn all the technical aspects of the car for design, then going to manufacture, and of course maintaining your relationship with the university, sponsors, etc. Seeing all the hard work everyone is doing is a great motivator for me to do better.
What made you want to be a lead for your system / What made you want to take your position on E-Board?
I wanted to be team captain so that I can take a more involved role in not only the design of the car, but also making sure that everyone is motivated and to create a foundation for future teams to build off from. A project of this scale can be really intimidating to get started with, especially with no racing background, so I want to make sure that we have excellent documentation of both our design and administrative functions. As a design lead, suspension and vehicle dynamics is something I worked with last year and found really interesting, so I'm excited to have the chance to improve it for this season. (2019 Captain, Suspension)
What is your favorite car?
BX60-2, duh. Although the solar car I worked on in high school is definitely up there.
If you could drive our race car on any track in the world, which would it be?
I think Rainbow Road would be pretty fun.
Why do you think FSAE is important, and what would you say to people who are interested in joining?
FSAE is going to teach you A LOT of things you don't learn in your standard classes, especially in manufacturing. It's also the opportunity to use simulation software to apply what you've learned in your classes. Sure, you get to use MATLAB and Solidworks in classes, but in SAE you get to see just how powerful they really are, along with other programs like ANSYS, StarCCM, and more. There's also plenty to do outside of design for those who aren't in engineering! Creating a brand for the team and staying on good terms with sponsors and the university is EXTREMELY important, plus all the budgeting and organization needed to be successful. To those interested in joining, I'd say that you get what you put in. If you're willing to put in some time, there's a LOT to be gained here.
Suspension
