Hashem Mishal using an angle grinder to cut a drill bit, in the SAE team’s garage at SF State on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. “We don’t get anything from the school other than this workshop,” Mishal said. “Our advisor, he runs the shop, and he also works with us to try and get as [many] opportunities as possible. So it was really nice, in helping us get this space, but all the tools are just some of the guys’ or third parties’. I don’t know where these tools came from, but a lot of it was sponsors, donations from alumni. Right now, all the hardware we’ve been paying out of pocket for the time being.” (Jonah Chambliss / Xpress Magazine)
Those who have tried to change their oil know that cars can be frustrating to work on. A typical car shop features lots of tools, loud noises and dirty hands. Gathered in the new engineering building at San Francisco State University, a small group of engineers basks in the process of building a car. The Golden Gate Racers were established in 2016 as SF State’s first Society of Automotive Engineers chapter. Over the last eight years, the racers have designed and built the chassis and engine of an F1 race car. Every Tuesday and Thursday, members of the chapter wake up early to design and build every part of this race car. According to multiple members, the shop and car are an opportunity for them to put their engineering abilities to use in the coolest way they can imagine.
Members of the SAE team lift the chassis to move it out of the garage at SF State on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. “It’s something that’s a passion project for most of us,” Yair Duran said. “We put everything in it. We’re trying to get it ready for next year. With school and everything it’s hard, but it’s still a chill relaxing space. We do what we need to do and pop in and out.”Jonah Chambliss / Xpress Magazine)
(Left to right) Hashem Mishal, Aqil Noorali, and Miguel Montanez-Alejandre works on different parts of the car, in the SAE teams garage at SF State, on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Jonah Chambliss / Xpress Magazine) (Jonah Chambliss)
Aqil Noorali screws a piece of the engine into place as Miguel Montanez-Alejandre watches on, in the SAE team’s garage at SF State on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Jonah Chambliss / Xpress Magazine) (Jonah Chambliss)
Aqil Noorali sits in the chassis of the car while fellow SAE team members surround him in the garage at SF State on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Jonah Chambliss / Xpress Magazine) (Jonah Chambliss)
Jonah Chambliss (he/him) is a reporter for Golden Gate Xpress. He is majoring in journalism and minoring in sociology. He was born and raised in Oakland, California. He lives in San Francisco, California, while working full-time and attending San Francisco State University. He previously contributed to The Cabrillo Voice, the student newspaper of Cabrillo Community College in Aptos, California. He served as a staff reporter for Golden Gate Xpress for the last year focusing on multimedia, arts and entertainment content. During his free time, Jonah is an avid cyclist, motorcycle rider, and mechanic. Jonah is also a huge fan of Bay Area sports, specifically the Oakland Athletics and Golden State Warriors.
![Hashem Mishal using an angle grinder to cut a drill bit, in the SAE team’s garage at SF State on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. “We don't get anything from the school other than this workshop,” Mishal said. “Our advisor, he runs the shop, and he also works with us to try and get as [many] opportunities as possible. So it was really nice, in helping us get this space, but all the tools are just some of the guys’ or third parties’. I don't know where these tools came from, but a lot of it was sponsors, donations from alumni. Right now, all the hardware we’ve been paying out of pocket for the time being.” (Jonah Chambliss / Xpress Magazine)](https://xpressmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Chambliss_F1_001_LEDEPHOTO-1200x800.jpg)
