In order to bolster the team’s technical prowess and help develop the next generation of motorsports technical talent, Ice Barn Racing welcomes aboard two engineering students from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Ayden Snedigar and Thornton Thomas have joined team rider Solly Mervis’s crew. Mervis himself, from Carmel, Indiana, is also an engineering student at Rose-Hulman.
Snedigar and Thomas will be with the team this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as Mervis competes in round four of the MotoAmerica Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul Championship, which will be part of AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, also taking place this weekend at Mid-Ohio.
A junior at Rose-Hulman, Snedigar, who is from Monroe, Ohio, is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in computer science, He has served as a Front Desk and Machine Shop Supervisor at Rose-Hulman’s Branam & Kramer Innovation Center where he is gaining valuable experience in manufacturing and machine shop operations. Snedigar also completed a internship at Hydrotech Inc. where he worked on the Rose-Hulman Grand Prix Engineering Team to develop and refine MoTeC ECU strategies.
Thomas, a junior from Arlington, Virginia, is also pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, and he is no stranger to motorsports and data analytics. This past year, he served as the Suspension Sub-Team Lead and Lead Driver for Rose-Hulman’s Grand Prix Engineering Team. He successfully inherited and completed the team’s suspension build mid-year, redesigned custom components to resolve clearance issues, and led the design of an electric vehicle suspension system, utilizing OptimumKinematics, SolidWorks, and ANSYS during the process.
“Professional motorsports continues to see technology play an integral role in the success of race teams,” commented Ice Barn Racing Team owner Josh Mervis. “Ice Barn’s goal is to provide talented students with opportunities to experience the real-world pressures of professional racing. The experience Thornton and Ayden are getting as crew members on the Ice Barn Racing Team give them insights that go way beyond textbooks and classroom learning, while helping to prepare them for successful careers after graduation.”
Ice Barn Racing, located in Carmel, Indiana, was founded in 2023 to support Solly Mervis’s racing journey. The team and operation are dedicated to bolstering and propelling Mervis as an exceptional role model for young individuals.
Here’s this weekend’s schedule for the Parts Unlimited Talent Cup By Motul Championship at Mid-Ohio:
• Friday
11:35 am – Talent Cup Practice 1 – 25 minutes
4:30 pm – Talent Cup Qualifying 1 – 30 min
• Saturday
8:30 am – Talent Cup Qualifying 2 – 30 minutes
12 Noon – Talent Cup Race 1 – 10 Laps
• Sunday
9:40 am – Talent Cup Warm Up – 15 minutes
12 Noon – Talent Cup Race 2 – 10 laps
