Buggy, or Sweepstakes, is a sport at Carnegie Mellon that brings together the best in engineering, design and athleticism. Teams of students build three-wheeled non-motorized soapbox-derby-esque racers that participate in an annual race and design competition that is part of CMU's spring carnival. In essence, buggy involves lightweight three-wheeled racers that are pushed up the hills around Flagstaff Hill and then driven down and around Schenley Drive and Frew Street. Buggies are designed to be as light and fast as possible, and pairing them with extremely skilled drivers and fast push teams is the key to success in buggy.
Fringe Racing has a long standing history of being a very competitive buggy team, consistently placing on the podium in both the men's and women's standings for several years now. We build a new buggy every year and are constantly attempting to improve upon our old designs, often being the first to explore uncharted territory with respect to buggy technology. Our twin beliefs in innovation and performance help keep Fringe Racing ahead of the competition. The following are some of the roles within Fringe Racing:
Mechanics build new buggies and maintain our existing fleet. They gain experience working with composite materials, CAD designs and Fringe's own machine shop. Mechanics are typically the busiest members of the team - performing maintenance on our existing fleet before weekend freerolls as well as helping design and build new buggies in the off-season.
Drivers are petite individuals who drive our buggies around the course. They pick up expertise and confidence with respect to their buggies and the course thanks to weekly practice during weekend freerolls. Drivers are expected to attend all freerolls.
Pushers compose the athletic branch of Fringe Racing. They are among the fastest and strongest individuals on campus. Pushers are expected to show up to as many freerolls as possible, as well as participating in regular pusher workouts led by the push captains.