In school, students become very accustomed to accomplishing tasks on their own. However, while being able to complete an independent project is a great skill, it’s easy to forget how a good team can be faster, smarter, and stronger than an individual. The Niles West Auto Club is a perfect example of a good team, and one would expect nothing less from people who can build a working car from spare parts.
The goal of auto club is to put together the best car possible so that, by the end of the year, it is in good enough condition to race. Now that the competition is just over the horizon, the club is making sure they are as prepared as possible. Timothy Richmond, a teacher at Niles West and the sponsor of auto club, said the students will be working on the car until the minute it hits the tracks.
“We don’t know if everything is working right until we actually do the practice runs down at the track,” Richmond said. “Temperature of the air, the temperature of the track, the tire pressure–these are all things the students have to take into consideration, and then have to make adjustments for.”
The cars auto club works on are completely student built. While Mr. Richmond does serve as a resource for questions, the club members are the ones who actually get to work on the vehicle.
“I don’t make decisions for them,” Richmond said. “They do all the collecting of data and they figure out what they want to do to try to get the car running.”
Over the years, auto club has become very good at being efficient with their time. This year, they were able to work on two cars rather than just one like in previous years. They have also won numerous competitions, and have even been mentioned in the magazine Popular Mechanics. Auto club grows bigger and stronger every year, and the lessons learned in the club don’t only apply in the classroom. Niles west alum John Wheeler was the president of auto club when they won the national championship, and he says his experience with the club helped him get a job in the field.
“It got me to where I am today,” Wheeler said. “Auto club showed me that if you commit to what you want to do, you’ll never fail.”
Overall, the members of auto club learn just as much as they work. The club will show you how to effectively work with others, as well as everything you need to know about cars. Senior Parsa Hassan said all of the hands on experience during auto club helped him start on his own project car.
“Not many other schools have a racing team,” Hassan said. “Everyone should at least give it a chance.”
Auto club meets after school Mondays and Tuesdays in room 1525. Students need no prior experience to join.
