Couple extra notes:
Tomorrow I'm going over to Camilo's place so we can begin work on something really awesome for all attendees. It's definitely going to be a really killer and unique take home item.
Also, Scott Ahlman mentioned he was preparing a presentation on for the Milwaukee SAE Chapter and he's going to be nice enough to recreate the magic for us in New Orleans.
Presenter Scott Ahlman
Scott Ahlman, President Ahlman Engineering, Inc, holds an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, which included being Co-Captain of the Formula SAE Team. Scott also received a mas- ters degree in System Design and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Scott has worked in all aspects of high-performance chassis/vehicle dynamics design and development throughout his career. Early on at Ford Motor Company in 1995, Scott was the first to lead chassis design and development for the Ford teams in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series. Scott’s strong performance in the Craftsman Truck series moved him up to ChampCar in 1996. He was chosen to be the Team Rahal Resident Vehicle Dynamics Engineer in CART, where Scott led vehicle dynamic tools, methods, metrics development and application for race setup. From 1996-2001, Scott contributed to 9 CART wins including 2nd in the Championship, supporting drivers Rahal, Herta, Papis and Brack. Scott followed by further supporting Ford Racing Vehicle Dynamics in Formula 1, CART & NASCAR.
Perhaps one his greatest career accomplishments came as the start to finish Ford GT Chassis Design and Release and Vehicle Dynamics En- gineer. Scott led overall vehicle targets, chassis system targets and the functional requirements cascade. Scott led vehicle dynamics analysis and design philosophy, and co-led chassis architecture definition. He designed the GT’s final suspension geometry and bushing settings along with design and release for control arms, bushings, tires, bars, springs, shocks and bump stops. He finished with ride and handling develop-ment, an enjoyable way to send each GT off to its owner.
In 2006, Scott left Ford to start his own company, Ahlman Engineering, focusing once again on racing with chassis/vehicle dynamics engineering support in the Indy Racing League for Rahal Letterman Racing. In his year in the IRL, Scott led vehicle dynamics analysis and application, including shock optimization, that im- proved Indianapolis lap speed average 1 mph, which was the largest single gain at Indy for the team in 2006.
Over the last 5 years, Scott has been the Roush-Fenway Racing Sprint Cup Chassis/Vehicle Dynamics Engi- neer. In his current role, Scott has made a significant contribution to 28 NASCAR Sprint Cup Wins including two 2nd place finishes in the Championship, winner of the 2007 “Jack” Roush MVP Award, and placing 1-2-3 at the Dover Race in September 2008. Scott originated and led the “playbook” approach and application for each race including setup and adjustments recommendations. He leads vehicle dynamics analysis/simulation tools, methods, metrics development and application. He also leads the team’s road course program including chassis design, track testing, analysis and recommendations.
Aside from racecars and anything involving speed, Scott has a passion for hockey and woodworking. In his spare time, Scott has designed and built a sustainable home with his wife, Angela, and their two children, Madison and Max. Scott is a two-decade SAE member, and a VERY proud Wisconsin Badger.
Presentation Topic 2005 Ford GT
As one of the lead chassis design and development engineers for the 2005 high performance supercar, the Ford GT, Scott Ahlman’s presentation will cover GT program targets and capabilities, a chassis design over- view, and some of the program challenges. The 2005 Ford GT is visually based on the historical and 1966 LeMans winning Ford GT Mark II cars (nicknamed GT40 due to its height), but the rest of the car has very little relation to the original. The 2005 version of the GT started as a concept car, but was turned into a full production program in 2002, one year before the Ford Motor Company’s Centennial celebration. 4,038 of the originally planned 4,500 Ford GT’s were produced over a 30-month period with completion in 2006. The 2005 Ford GT made the front cover of over 30 magazines nationally and internationally due to its rare combi- nation of high performance, beauty, craftsmanship and reliability. The Ford GT dominated its class of car in nearly every respect, and was often compared to cars well above its price range. The GT’s rarity and demand for the car has actually caused current sale prices of the 7-year-old car to rise 20%+ over the original list price of $139,995. Please join us for Scott Ahlman’s presentation, which will cover many of the lesser known de- tails of the famous Ford GT.
