Nikki is the name of the USC racing team’s car. It weighs 485 pounds.
Nikki has a 4-cylinder Yamaha R6 engine. This engine was taken straight out of a motorcycle.
Nikki can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in only 3.5 seconds.
Nikki can pull two lateral G’s, which is higher than almost every supercar. A lateral G is the sideways force that people experience while turning a vehicle.
Nikki has a steering wheel that resembles that of a Formula 1 racing car. It has integrated electronic displays that let the driver know everything from speed and RPM to water temperature and oil pressure.
USC’s racing cars are built almost entirely in-house by USC students, including Jason Zide, John Baltz and Tyler Makin.
Boeing, General Motors, Northrop Grumman, Chevron and Wells Fargo sponsor the USC racing team.
USC’s racing cars are built almost entirely in-house by USC students, including Jason Zide, John Baltz and Tyler Makin.
Nikki was built in three stages—designing, building and testing—between June 2013 and June 2014.
The USC racing team spent about $60,000 to build Nikki. The team’s sponsors also donated materials and services that went into Nikki’s development, including machinery.
