The ISU formula car team is competing in Formula SAE California until Saturday.

The team designed, built and tested the mini open-wheel race car. The goal is a fast and reliable car for the Formula SAE Series competition May 13-16 at Michigan International Speedway.

The team spent the last year building a $30,000 formula car in order to compete.

Nick Krauel, junior in meteorology and the team’s project director, said in a news release, “I’m confident we can get a top 20 finish. I’d love to finish better than that. I do think we have a good shot at getting in the top 10 again.”

This year the team is trying new tactics to try and get in the top 10.

The first new feature is the team’s engine. The car runs on a ethanol-powered Yamaha YZF 450 engine. This type of engine usually runs in an all-terrain vehicle. The change in engine will give the car more horsepower.

Also, they have made improvements to the design of the car. The team developed a way to incorporate buttons on the steering wheel to electronically shift gears. In addition, the car is lighter than those in years past. The suspension was made softer and more responsive.

The biggest improvement this year was that the team finished the car three weeks before the competition. This allowed for more time for testing the car before the actual competition.

This is a step up from last year’s car, which wasn’t finished before the team left for the racetrack, and the team never managed to get it running.

The event has more than 50 schools registered from countries around the world.

In order to be eligible for the race, team members must be enrolled as undergraduates or graduates, be a member of SAE and have a driver’s license and insurance.

The team must make it through a schedule of events including technical inspectors and a presentation of design cost before the autocross even takes place.

The cars aren’t racing each other but competing one at a time in five racing events.

The events include acceleration; cornering; autocross, a quick and curvy half-mile course that can be raced at average speeds of 25-30 mph; endurance, a 13.7 mile race that features top speeds of 65 mph; and fuel economy.

Iowa State’s team has competed in the past. The team finished with their highest score of seventh place in 2006 and 18th in 2007 and 2005.

There will be more coverage once the competition is complete Saturday.