Mosh Pits & Mechanics

The Citrus Automotive Physics Eco-Marathon team look about as straight-laced and typical of what a college level engineering and physics team would look like. Then there’s Bernie Segura.

While most the students on the 14 person team are usually in their auto tech workshirts, Segura can often be found in the garage working in an old cut-off Black Flag tee. His shaved head and tattooed arms give the vibe of someone ready to mess you up in a mosh pit.

But that is not the case.

Segura is the leader of the Citrus CAPE Owls’ Diesel Prototype Team, and majoring in Automotive Technology.

This year the CAPE Owls are competing the annual Shell Eco-Marathon held in Detroit, Michigan from April 22-24.

The Shell Eco-Marathon is a nationwide competition, where participants build vehicles to achieve the highest possible fuel efficiency, with events held in America, Asia, and Europe.

Leading such an important group of students is impressive, but a very crucial role. Getting there was no walk in the park.

Segura grew up and attended school in Covina, California.

Growing up, academics were never a top priority and making grades was a struggle. His attention drifted from books and focused more on his personal interests, one of which included cars.

His love and appreciation for assembly and auto technology began as a child. When most kids his age were driving their remote control cars up and down the street, racing them to chalk finish lines, a young Segura sat at home with them instead.

“My parents would purchase a remote control car for me, and one of the first things I would do was take it apart,” Segura laughed.

“After they spent all this money I would literally just take it apart, but then I would put it all back together again.”

If his mind wasn’t on cars, it was on music. Segura found he’d much rather spend his time listening to his favorite artists like The Ramones, Sex Pistols and L.A. locals, Black Flag and even began playing playing music himself, as the drummer for the band Massacre 69.

A musician since the age of 15, and a lifelong supporter of local bands, the punk rock scene is still a relevant passion of Segura’s, but these days he finds himself in the garage, not for band practice, but to get their diesel racer prepped for competition.

Trying to attend to both passions was difficult, leaving Segura to make tough sacrifices, but ultimately made the decision to put his attention towards schooling and automotives.

As much as his band mates struggled with his decision to leave, recognizing that finding a drummer as skilled as Segura wouldn’t be easy, they were comforted in knowing his absence wouldn’t be forever.

“It’s not like I quit playing music, it’ll just be on hold for a while” Segura said, “and hey, after school I’ll have more time for it.”

Segura graduated from Northview High School in 1998 and eventually enrolled at Citrus College, but was unsure of what he wanted, which led him to drop out and work full-time.

There is where he discovered how much he enjoyed working, doing various jobs in mechanics, home appliance and hydraulics.

With his work experience and natural interest in car repair, Segura opened up his own small automotive shop in 2011. He started out doing simple tune ups and repairs, but soon found himself getting in over his head with his lack of professional knowledge and training.

“Having to go back to a client and tell them I couldn’t fix their problem was such a let down on me. I let myself down, that’s really how it felt.”

The humiliation of denying clients was something Segura never wanted to experience again. He realized there was still so much to learn and returned to Citrus College.

Upon his return, and with the help of his automotive instructors, Segura was able to achieve ASE accreditation as a certified technician.

“Citrus has been the hugest, most immense help,” said Segura  “I feel spoiled to be apart of the Automotive Technology Department. I couldn’t have done it without the instructors here.”

Segura also became interested in the race car engineering and technology programs that are offered here at Citrus. His teachers encouraged him to get involved with the CAPE Owls.

“CAPE” stands for Citrus Automotive Psychics Eco-Marathon. The CAPE Owls are a team of automotive and psychics students, who work together to build prototype race cars to compete in competitions.

This year in the marathon, more than 100 teams are competing in the US alone, leaving stakes quite high for the team, but they are not discouraged.

Tests have shown that the CAPE Owls can get about 1,500 miles to the gallon, which is in the range of what the 1st place winners of last year’s Shell competition got, and with only 10 percent of the budget that other schools have.

The team is separated into two groups; gas and diesel. Bernie Segura is the team leader of the Diesel Prototype, and Grant Quan is the team leader of the Gas Prototype.

“It’s very exciting, it’s very humbling, it’s a huge challenge, but all in all I feel so humbled to be recognized for such a responsibility.” said Segura.

As someone accustomed to working alone, being on a team has been a new experience for Segura.

Working in a community of students with similar goals and ambitions is rewarding socially as it is a learning process.

As team leader, Segura has had the privilege of watching these students grow into the motivated and successful people they are today. A team of people once strangers are now a family, teaching one another everyday and giving this project all they have.

“You have to have a hunger, a passion, almost a slightly crazy devotion to want to kick yourself for no reason to do something like this. You have to be selfless, if you’re a selfish person, this isn’t the work for you,” Segura stressed.

Walking into the automotive department, you’ll always find a team member on site. Late nights and weekends are devoted to the development of these vehicles, and for good reason.

This will be the third year Citrus students are involved in the marathon. The difference in placing between their first and second years of competition was positively significant, and the CAPE Owls only hope to raise that number higher on the next scoreboard.

Now that the teams will be able to race in two prototype categories; gas and diesel, their chances of success will be even greater.

Both vehicles under manufacturing aim to have low fuel consumption, though operation methods will be very different.

The diesel engine is larger than the gas engine and produces more power than necessary for such a small vehicle.

The team will have to strategically utilize the power being produced and not overuse it, where as the driver for the gas vehicle will have a minimal amount of power which they will have to use very carefully.

The team realized that no actual engine would fit all the needs crucial to their vehicle’s requirements. So, Segura and the team took matters into their own hands and built an entirely new engine that technically does not exist in the world of automotive parts.

Yes, Citrus College students will be competing with an engine the very first of it’s kind, an accomplishment of it’s own.

All of the work is done under the careful supervision of team’s adviser, Professor Mariano Rubio. His  function is to keep everything organized, keep the project moving along, and to make sure the students always have a firm foundation.

“More than anything, I’m here to inspire” says Professor Rubio, “I want to make sure the students don’t lose focus and I want them to have fun doing it.”

The official opening ceremony will be held on April 22nd and the competition will run on the 23rd. The last day of the competition and the award ceremonies will be on April 24th.

The competition has winning categories that range from “Energy Efficiency” and “Design” to “Perseverance” and “Team Spirit” but most importantly, the competition ends with the thrilling possibility of one day seeing these vehicles as the best fuel efficient cars on the road.

“This experience isn’t just about race cars and beer, there’s a lot of structure and planning and organization.. learning more than anything.”

The competition is very meaningful to Segura and the teams. Long nights and countless hours have brought absolutely nothing to something, and a great something at that.

This victory is far beyond a race, but rather success in a bright future.

Perseverance and dirty hands can take you a long way, just ask Bernie Segura. You can find him in the automotive department, working hard, always with a smile.