The Michigan State University Formula Racing Team is displaying its racecar 9 (above) at the Detroit auto show. Photo courtesy of the College of Engineering.

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EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan State University Formula Racing Team is showcasing its award-winning racecar at the 2008 North American International Auto Show.

The show is open to the public at the Cobo Center, 1 Washington Blvd., Detroit, on Saturday, Jan. 19, through Sunday, Jan. 27.

The MSU team is displaying racecar 41 (2006) and racecar 9 (2007). Both cars placed in the top 10 at Formula SAE and Formula SAE West competitions.

Formula SAE is a collegiate competition series sanctioned by the Society of Automotive Engineers. It hosts more than 300 teams in nine competitions around the world annually. Students are challenged to design, manufacture and market a small open-wheel racecar for a specific target market.

“MSU’s approach to the competition is similar to the philosophies of many original equipment manufacturers when building concept and production vehicles,” said Adam Zemke, operations consultant and manager for the MSU team. “The MSU cars are excellent showpieces of how collegiate education can be applied directly to the multitude of vehicles at NAIAS.”

The MSU team is also presenting its Go Clean E85 development campaign during the show. Beginning with the 2009 MSU Formula SAE car, the team intends for all future MSU racecars to be powered by E85 ethanol-blended fuel.

“The team plans to highlight the multitude of performance benefits that come with practicing environmental responsibility,” Zemke said. “The powertrain system is currently in research and development to support this change without negatively impacting vehicle performance.”

The MSU Formula Racing Team is a student-run organization. To learn more about the organization or its initiatives, visit the Web at www.msuformularacing.com.

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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.