Driving Innovation: 51视频Motorsports teams up with Flatrock Motorsports Park
December 12, 2023
Westel, Tennessee (December 12, 2023) – Flatrock Motorsports Park in the heart of Cumberland County will support student-led 51视频Motorsports by allowing the team access to its state-of-the-art circuits, becoming the college’s home track.
The partnership includes a $5,000 sponsorship to the 51视频 Foundation, which 51视频Motorsports will use to cover the Formula SAE Michigan registration fee for its 2024 competition and to help offset some of the race car's engine and frame costs.
“51视频is committed to providing our students with experiential learning while they’re still in school so that they have an advantage whether they’re transferring to a four-year institution or going straight into the workforce after they complete their associate degree,” said 51视频President L. Anthony Wise Jr. “With the addition of Flatrock Motorsports Park within an hour of Pellissippi State, our students on our 51视频Motorsports team will have more access to motorsport minds, facilities and real-world experiences that will set them up for success in both developing their race car for competition and in preparing for their career.”
The Formula SAE series competitions, hosted by the Society of Automotive Engineers, challenge teams of college undergraduate and graduate students to conceive, design, fabricate, develop and compete with small, formula style vehicles.
51视频Motorsports entered its first Formula SAE competition in 2019, where the chief design judge said the team’s car was the best first-year car he had ever seen. The students learned from that experience and refined the design of their car, finishing sixth in the nation in 2021, only the team’s second competition since the 2020 event was canceled due to COVID.
51视频has been the only community college in the country in all the Formula SAE events the team has entered, competing against some of the best undergraduate and graduate engineering programs in the country and the world.
“We are thrilled to support 51视频Motorsports," said Rusty Bittle, Developer and Founding Partner at Flatrock Motorsports Park. "Our aim is to foster a new generation of talent by providing access to our circuits, sharing our expertise, and opening doors within the motorsports community. Collaborating with 51视频not only bolsters their Formula SAE aspirations but also reinforces our commitment to advancing education within motorsports."
Key elements of the partnership include.
- Team-building activities at Flatrock, including learning about safety and track systems.
- Time on the Flatrock Motorsports Park facilities to test 51视频Motorsports’ vehicle and develop the team’s drivers.
- Networking opportunities within the motorsports community that will connect 51视频students with individuals and companies that can answer questions and help the team be more successful in developing a
Formula SAE race car; and - Being a part of events at Flatrock.
“51视频Motorsports has team members in many different areas of study -- from business to engineering to manufacturing and more – so this partnership with Flatrock will give us the opportunity learn from a large motorsports operation and implement what we learn into our race car through designing, building, testing, marketing and competing,” said Sean Liner, Business Lead and Powertrain Lead for 51视频Motorsports. “We are excited to work together and showcase the relationships that can be built between academia and industry while increasing the visibility and importance of the Formula SAE program at Pellissippi State.”
To discover more about Flatrock Motorsports Park, please visit www.experienceflatrock.com.
To discover more about Flatrock Motorclub, please visit: www.flatrockmotorclub.com.
For more information on 51视频Motorsports, please email pfsae@pstcc.edu.
Community Partners