The University of Massachusetts Motorsport Club is working to bring the largest fully student-run event to campus once again with its annual car show.
This year’s ninth Annual UMass Motorsport Club Car Show, held in Southwest’s Lot 11 on April 18, is not only an opportunity for those showing off cars, but an event for the whole family with food, raffles, contests, tire flips and if the weather permits, go-karting as well.
The all-day show will showcase everything from old, classic cars to this year’s latest models and will feature a variety of competitions. There will be a judging of the overall style of the cars in different categories along with audio and exhaust-offs.
Last year, 1,000 people attended the event and around 400 cars were entered in the showcase.
When not planning the car show, the club’s members take scenic car trips to nearby mountains, host barbeques, facilitate conversations about cars, drive at Pioneer Valley Indoor Karting and hold their own “tech” days.
On these tech days, club members are taught basic car maintenance skills such as changing the oil or checking the brake and power fluid levels.
“Everyone’s open and willing to teach people what they know,” said Sean Reinold, the RSO’s president.
The club is also working on obtaining a club car which members will be able to drive as well as practice maintenance on.
While the Motorsport Club was founded in the 1990s, it was once disbanded and rebooted again in 2004. Although it was originally founded with a club car, the group has recently run into some difficulty in obtaining one due to University regulations.
For those who do have cars, the club goes to autocrosses located in an abandoned airport and members compete in closed circuit timed races.
These races involve one car on the track at a time driving at about 30 mph and the best time wins. It is more of a technical way of driving as opposed to driving as fast as one can.
“We also have some generous alumni (who) allow some of our members (who don’t own cars) to ride along with them at the autocrosses,” Reinold added.
The club meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Campus Center. To find out more about the Motorsport Club and this year’s car show, visit the club’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/UMassMotorsport.
Christina Yacono can be reached at [email protected].
