Student Car Runs Down the Professionals at Xtreme Gravity Race
SANTA ANA, Calif., Aug. 1 - Winning first place for best design and second place for fastest speed, the vehicle that Industrial Design students from The Art Institute of California-Orange County designed and built for Mazda's entry into the 2006 Extreme Gravity Race (XGR), zoomed over the competition on Saturday. The car out-styled vehicles built by such industry giants as Honda and Chrysler.
Twelve teams competed in the race, with the Mazda/Art Institute car placing in two out of the four categories. The collaborative efforts of these Industrial Design students was found zooming around 180-degree hairpin turns at a winning time of 59 mph during XGR's annual race, which took place along a two-and-a-half mile course through Malibu, Calif.'s Tuna Canyon Road and featured a 1400-ft. decline.
When Mazda was looking for a way to run down the competition at the 2006 XGR, the Irvine, Calif. based car manufacturer knew to look no further than the Industrial Design students at The Art Institute. "We were familiar with the quality of designers that come out of The Art Institute and wanted to use the XGR as an opportunity to research and explore local talent," said Truman Pollard, lead designer for Mazda North America Operations and director of the Mazda XGR program.
"For the 2006 Mazda/Art Institute gravity race car the students wanted to make a lower profile vehicle to reduce wind resistance with an increased glass area to improve visibility in the turns," said Alan Cusolito, Art Institute academic director of industrial design. "Using the Mazda RX-8 track and wheelbase proportions as inspiration, they styled the car specifically to appeal to younger audiences."
The students were challenged with designing the vehicle to use gravity, not a motor, to reach speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour, while maintaining four wheels on the ground at all times. What went in to making the Mazda/Art Institute gravity race car concept a reality, by the numbers:
- Timeframe: 18 Weeks
- Number of Students: 20
- Number of Instructors: 3
- Total Man Hours: 6,200
- Total Budget: $3,000
"We challenged the students with the question, what makes this project a Mazda?" said Pollard. "Their response, a combination of soft forms integrated with a contrast of hard edge lines, showed their outstanding aptitude for creative problem solving and unique execution of an actual full size build project."
"My hope is that the success of the Mazda/Art Institute car in this race will make other car manufacturers realize the benefits of tapping into emerging student talent," said Cusolito.
The Art Institute of California-Orange County is a design, media and culinary arts school providing bachelor's and associate's degrees in Culinary Arts, Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interactive Media Design, Interior Design, Media Arts & Animation and Visual & Game Programming. Located in the heart of Orange County's South Coast Metro region, The Art Institute is ideally situated in close proximity to Orange County's thriving business community, cultural attractions, shopping, entertainment and its famous beaches. The school is one of The Art Institutes, www.artinstitutes.edu, with 32 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. Education Management Corporation, The Art Institutes' parent company, has provided career-oriented education programs for over 40 years, with more than 150,000 graduates.