CU-ICAR to unveil Deep Orange 9 at campus pop-up autocross event

CLEMSON — Clemson University students will have a chance to show off their driving skills and take hot laps with professional drivers on a professionally designed pop-up autocross course Saturday, Oct. 6, at a campus parking lot.

The event surrounds the unveiling of Deep Orange 9, a high-performance rallycross prototype vehicle sponsored by Honda R&D Americas Inc. The vehicle is designed and built by automotive engineering students at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research.

The Deep Orange program, now in its ninth year, challenges Clemson students to address real-world challenges related to sustainable mobility as well as current and future social trends. The program spans two years.

Deep Orange is hands-on project-based learning focused on systems integration and innovation. The project showcases advanced technology and provides students an opportunity to work directly with automotive industry partners to develop innovative ideas and concepts.

The day’s events will kick off at 11 a.m. in the C1 commuter parking lot on Perimeter Road across from the South Carolina Botanical Garden. Among the highlights:

• Students can test drive Honda Civics through a professionally designed pop-up autocross course with in-car feedback from professional drivers;
• Take hot laps in Honda NSX race cars with professional drivers;
• Meet North American Rally Champion, X Games Rallycross competitor and Hollywood stunt man Andrew Comrie-Picard (stunt driver in “Deadpool 2” and “Atomic Blonde”);
• Unveiling of the Deep Orange 9 next-generation rallycross racecar;
• Be a “Motorsports Engineer” for a day with tips and giveaways from automotive leaders;
• Learn about cutting-edge Clemson automotive research;
• Screening of the Clemson vs. Wake Forest football game; and
• Games, giveaways and plenty of Red Bull.

For more information (interested students must pre-register), visit CUICAR.com/Rally.

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Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research
The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) is a 250-acre advanced-technology research campus where university, industry and government organizations collaborate. CU-ICAR offers master’s and Ph.D. programs in automotive engineering and is conducting leading-edge translational research in critical areas, such as advanced product-development strategies, sustainable mobility, intelligent manufacturing systems and advanced materials. CU-ICAR has industrial-scale laboratories and testing equipment in world-class facilities available for commercial use.

Deep Orange
Deep Orange is a flagship program of Clemson’s two-year master’s program in automotive engineering. The program provides students with experience in market analysis, target customer profiles, vehicle design, prototyping and manufacturing while balancing costs and design targets in an aggressive timeline. The innovative vehicle prototype program encourages students to push the boundaries of conventional design and engineering.