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Q&A with Mike O’Neil

Q: When were you on the team?

A: I was a member of Zips Racing from 1990-1993. While in graduate school in 1994 and 1995 I stepped off the team and worked in an advisory role which included leading a lecture series on race car design.

Q: What was your role on the team?

A: The first year I designed and built the exhaust and intake systems for the engine. Those were my two main areas of focus. Years two through four I was the team captain in addition to designing the frames and other components. I also put together a series of ten design lectures that I presented to the FSAE Formula and Baja students that covered all areas of the car.

Q: What was your major? 

A: I graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1993 followed by my M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1995.

Q: Where do you work currently and what do you do there?

A: I am the Technical Director at Essex Parts Services, Inc. We primarily develop brake systems for various types of professional auto racing.

Q: Can you tell us about the history of Zips Racing and what it was like in the early days?

A: There are a few primary themes from the early days—doing a lot with a little, establishing a strong foundation upon which future teams could build, and proving to others at The University of Akron that this was a project well worth pursuing.

We started the team from nothing. We did not have the internet back then, and there were few books available on building race cars. Someone had to pull information together from a wide variety of sources and teach the others basic vehicle dynamics, performance engine tuning, and present various design options for different systems, and just get everyone understanding the basic principles and speaking the same language.

Early on the budget was very small which forced us to innovate. We never even saw another FSAE car until we were at our first competition. Three-dimensional solid modeling was not practical at the time. Neither was finite element analysis (FEA). We loaded an FEA model of our frame into the computer, which processed the data for 24 hours and then crashed. Yet, we had to have the car ready by the race date. Therefore, most of our designs were generated using basic hand calculations and simple drawings.

Letting a few of the mechanical engineering professors drive the car helped us build our case to the College to continue their support. They spread the word to others in the department. Thirty years later, the team is still here.

Q: What are some of your fondest memories of being on the team?

A: "Rewarding” is probably a better description of my memories. The College gave us more than enough rope to hang ourselves. With it we built a sling that transported us to a much better place. We went from being an unknown to a team that was taken seriously in only a few years.

Q: What is an interesting fact about the team people may not know?

A: Our first time out testing with the first car we broke the track record at Goodyear’s 0.62 mile maneuverability course. The previous record was set using a Corvette. In later years we dropped the record time much more.

Q: Do you miss being behind the wheel?

A: Racing has been in my family for about 90 years. I raced motorcycles and worked on race cars before I went to college. I started autocrossing while in FSAE and continued to do so until I started flat track motorcycle racing, a sport where I even won an amateur national championship. So I continue to be behind the wheel.

Q: What was your (or your team’s) greatest accomplishment when you were on the team?

A: There is one achievement that now stands out the most in my mind, although it did not until years after I was a design judge at the competition with a wonderful view from the “other” side. All four of the cars with which I was involved completed every dynamic event. The average number of teams that completed the endurance event alone at the time was only about 25%. We beat those tough odds all four years. To this day, it is rare that any team complete the endurance race four years in a row. It is a huge challenge just to complete a car and make it to the competition four years in a row. And, we went well beyond that. Putting in another way, every teammate’s parts on that car worked all four years... and there were quite a few parts!

Q: How did being a member of Zips Racing impact you?

A: Being a member of Zips Racing made entry into the racing industry after college a reality. It allowed me to make my passion my career. It still is today! Even if being in the racing industry is not your career goal, being on the team will help you land engineering jobs and at a higher starting pay than what might otherwise be earned without such experience.

Q: Of all the things you learned by being a member of Zips Racing, what do you carry with you most to this day?

A: The first thing that comes to my mind is that I had it to do all over again, I would do many things differently. If I thought that I would do everything the same, that would mean that I had not learned anything in the past 28 years! We were young and all of us were taking on project management to various levels. You only had so much time, talent, and treasure with which to work and compete against the best teams from around the planet. We were also responsible for properly representing our sponsors including The University of Akron. Many people go through their entire life without taking on such a large project. We learned that we were quite capable if we just put in a good, hard effort, which has applications in business and life.

Q: During the “Mike O’Neil era of Zips Racing,” who was instrumental in your success?

A: There were three people who contributed the most to our success. Professor Richard Gross did his best to make sure that we had what we needed and made sure to question our reasoning behind our design decisions. Race car design was new to him as well and he learned quite a bit right along with us while we were under his valued guidance. Dick Henry (deceased) in the Engineering Machine Shop created a very inviting environment. I also think of Grant Juengle who taught me how to use the precision machines.

Q: Would your life be different if you had not been a member of the Zips Racing team?

A: Absolutely! I eventually went on to be the Chief Design Judge at several of the FSAE competitions. It has been my way of giving back to a very, very valuable project.

Q: What song would be the #1 track on the Zips Racing soundtrack from when you were on the team?

A: We often had the stereo cranked up while working on the car, especially after normal shop hours. The one tune that comes to my mind is “Roll with the Changes” by REO Speedwagon. It has the energy and attitude that it takes to be successful on race day.