Huskie Formula Racing continued their tradition of organizing the ice-racing session in Blackstrap, Sask., on Jan. 27. With 2019’s Formula SAE Lincoln fast approaching, the session is crucial for the team’s preparation for the competition.

The team brought two of their legacy cars, S1 and S8, to Blackstrap Lake. A mini racecourse was set up on the ice with the assistance of snow shovels and traffic cones.

Members of the team who have passed the medical and safety test are permitted to drive for five laps per turn. The event is part of the team’s preparations for the competition in Lincoln, Neb., in the United States. The technical leads and safetymarshal stood by in case of mechanical issues or accidents.

Kevin Noel, the marketing lead of the Huskie Formula Racing team, expressed that ice racing is essential as it prepares the squad to cope with technical difficulties during a competition.

“They do have a lot of the experienced guys on there who are definitely used to repairing everything that can go wrong with [the car],” Noel said. “But for a lot of the new guys, like some first- and second-year engineers, [this] is their first time on the team, [so they] won’t really know what sort of issues might come up with [the car].”

The team also enjoyed quality bonding time in the cold, with a campfire and refreshments.

“As far as the team building [goes], it’s honestly just about dragging a bunch of people out in the cold,” Noel said. “We just huddled around the campfire for a long time, and it was just good to talk to a lot of people on the team.”

Despite it being the middle of the season, Noel states that anyone across campus is more than welcome to join, even those without an engineering background.

“We always accept new members,” Noel said. “We are trying to make [Huskie Formula Racing] very much like a diverse group — any sort of creative input we can get from anyone would definitely be a huge help.”

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Heywood Yu

Photso: David Hartman