April 26, 2017
By
Abby Willis' bid to become the second female champion in the 60-year history of the Purdue Grand Prix fell a bit short, but Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis had plenty to celebrate overall last Saturday.
Three teams from the School of Engineering and Technology participated in the popular go-kart race, led by a runner-up finish from the Society of Women Engineers team.
The team, with driver Willis and crew Suzanne Drumm, Karina Gonzalez, Katie Pfeiffer, Nicole Stout and Lizzie Todd, improved upon their sixth-place qualifying effort and was the only other team to finish on the lead lap, 21.877 seconds behind winning team Cary Racing and driver Kyle Tilley.
"It's a 160-lap race, so you have to stay out of trouble," Willis told the Lafayette Journal & Courier. "Luckily, I was able to stay out of trouble, so that really helped. I was just trying to be consistent."