Jasper Wildcat Motorsports ends successful season
Nine months ago the Jasper Wildcat Motorsports Team began to turn steel tubing into highly competitive racing machines. Their successful season is now behind them and they are celebrating with an open house on May 23 that will allow the public to not only see the winning cars but also watch a special Formula exhibition race between some local “celebrities”.
The season started strongly for the Motorsports Team at the first competition of the year. At Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin’s “Road America” Formula race on April 28 and 29, the team took top honors in all three track configurations: oval, short road course, and long road course.
Then on April 30, the Super Mileage Team followed with a stellar performance by achieving laps averaging 380.43 MPG and taking 5th place out of 19 Indiana Unlimited Competition Teams in the IMSTEA Super Mileage competition at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Indianapolis.
As part of the Super Mileage competition, Vincennes University Welding Technology sponsored a virtual welding contest in which Zach Mauder, JHS senior and Super Mileage Crew Chief, won with a score of 93 out of 100. Mauder received a commemorative-edition, auto-darkening welding helmet for his accomplishment.
In the final competition for the year, the Formula team placed 1st once again in Indiana’s first Formula racing competition at New Castle, IN.
According to Seth Sickbert, Jasper Wildcat Motorsports advisor and JHS Engineering teacher, “This was our first year competing in Formula competition, and we couldn’t have asked for better results. We are all very proud of the students’ achievements. Wisconsin schools have been competing for three years and in our first year, we couldn’t imagine we would have these results.”
Not only was the team’s car highly competitive, the design and paint job made an impression on the competitors. “A lot of Wisconsin jaws dropped when the Jasper Team rolled its car into inspection,” Sickbert said. “Then we took to the track and dominated it. Competing teams were intrigued with the gold and black car design and how our team was able to design and built such a responsive, quick car.”
The goal of the program is to allow high school students hands-on experience building race cars while using engineering principles to gain the greatest gas mileage and speed. The design and construction of the competition cars wouldn’t have been possible without the help and support of the faculty sponsor, adult mentors and financial support from community sponsors.
[box type=”note”]The open house will be held on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. behind Jasper High School. Both cars, built by JHS students, will be on display with a special Formula exhibition race scheduled to take place.
The Jasper Wildcat Motorsports program has a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/jasperwildcatmotorsports.[/box]
