AKRON, Ohio, Sept. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Engineering students from eight top universities across the country are headed to Akron to compete at the 2011 Goodyear Formula SAE Shootout competition on Saturday, September 17.

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The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT) invited the select universities, participating in the Formula SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), to its Akron Proving Grounds for the day-long competition.  Engineering students will compete in autocross and endurance races.  Goodyear also uses this event as an opportunity to recruit engineering students for full-time and co-op/ intern positions at the company's Innovation Center.

"Goodyear is excited to be once again hosting our FSAE Shootout," said Brian Jakubowski, a development engineer for the tiremaker who serves as FSAE program coordinator. "The skills and talents that these engineering students exhibit in designing and building these cars are the same skills that will make excellent engineers when they graduate."

Formula SAE is a student design competition in which college students create, test and race scale models of Formula One racecars. The event began in the 1980s in the U.S.  Since its inception, the competition has spread to universities around the world.

Goodyear has built a strong relationship with FSAE as a tire builder for the race teams and as a sponsor of the organization.  Goodyear supports young engineers and uses this event to help students understand the important role tires play in the performance of a vehicle.  In fact, Goodyear manufactures the high-performance tires used on the FSAE vehicles at its Akron Innovation Center.

Participating universities include:  The University of Akron, Rochester Institute of Technology, Missouri University of Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Purdue University, Virginia Tech, Michigan State University and the University of Pittsburgh.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies.  It employs approximately 73,000 people and manufactures its products in 54 facilities in 22 countries around the world.  Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry.  For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company