When Nick Shute builds a car, there is no puzzling instruction sheet or sticky model glue involved. Shute, a senior in engineering, is the team leader of the Off-Road Illini, a student organization that designs, builds and races its own off-road vehicles.

“I found the Off-Road Illini on Quad Day my freshman year and knew it was something I wanted to get involved with,” he said. “I have stuck with it ever since.”

Shute said he was instantly drawn to the club because it seemed like a good opportunity to continue his long-time hobby – working on cars – away from home.

“I am from Ottawa (Ill.), a small farm town where you fix everything yourself,” he said. “Getting involved with the Off-Road Illini was a good opportunity to get to do what I’ve always liked to do and spend someone else’s money in the process.”

Shute explained how the club produces one vehicle a year and begins the design process in the fall.

“We start out by sitting down in design meetings to come up with ideas,” he said. “Once we figure out the goals and write them down, we start entering them into the computer so that we can begin the actual fabrication.”

Club members consider driver comfort a significant factor when designing the vehicle, Shute said.

“These vehicles are going to be involved in competitions where they’re raced on rough terrain, and we have to be conscious of that,” he said.

Shute said this year’s vehicle was called the SAE Mini Baja, and that the design team’s goal was to make it a light car so that it would run faster when raced.

“There’s anywhere from 90 to 100 teams at the competitions, which take place in different states every June,” he said. “We let the best drivers actually race the car, but everyone who puts time into it gets to drive it at some point.”

Corey Struck, Shute’s roommate and junior in engineering, said Shute possesses a number of qualities that make him a good leader.

“He’s very knowledgeable, not only about the Baja car, but of vehicles in general,” Struck said. “He can explain to people in depth about what parts and pieces of cars are supposed to do.”

He also said Shute has a relaxed, cool-headed attitude that is beneficial when teaching people about the mechanics of vehicles.

“There are people with varying experience levels on the team and his personality and knowledge level allow him to explain things very clearly,” Struck said.

Tom Yeung, fellow Off-Road Illini member and senior in engineering, said Shute takes an active, hands-on approach to leading the team.

“He gives a lot of input on design and is always out driving the vehicles when they’re built,” Yeung said. “He leads by example.”

Shute said he enjoys teaching the basics and nuances of designing, building and racing cars to new members with limited experience.

“Anybody is welcome to join – you don’t have to be an engineer,” he said. “All you need is a willingness to learn and we’ll teach you everything.”

When he is not busy with Off-Road Illini activities, Shute said he enjoys spending time with his girlfriend.

“She gets pretty annoyed that I spend so much time on the car sometimes,” he said. “I tell her, ‘It’s only a year.'”

Shute said he would eventually like to get a job that involved design and product testing.

He mentioned that the Off-Road Illini not only gives him the opportunity to practice his favorite hobby, but also to gain experience and relax.

“Employers look for hands-on, real-world experience and this is a great way to get that,” Shute said. “It’s also great for relieving stress from homework.”

He said group members generally meet twice a week in the fall semester to design, and up to four times a week in the spring to make sure everything on the car is running smoothly.

“If something’s going to break, we want it to break beforehand so we’ll be prepared,” Shute said.

He said all of the work leading up to the completion of a vehicle leads to the best part of the entire process – racing it.

“You put in a year’s work to go show off the car and do well in the race,” Shute said. “It’s a huge adrenaline rush.”