Embry-Riddle Students Unveil Formula-Style Racecar for International Competition May 2

The small Formula SAE racer weighs in at only 450 lbs. It is powered by a Honda 600 cc liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder engine and has a top speed of 130 mph. 

The Embry-Riddle racecar was designed and built by ERAU Motorsports Club team members in the College of Engineering’s High Performance Vehicles Lab. By first using 3D digital modeling software, students were able to virtually create and analyze every aspect of the design and manufacturing process. They fabricated the chrome-moly steel chassis and custom parts for the vehicle, modified engine components to achieve enhanced performance and completed the final assembly.

The 13-member student team is composed of undergraduate and graduate students from the Mechanical Engineering, Aviation Maintenance Science, Aerospace Engineering and Business Administration programs.

“There have been many sleepless nights trying to get this racecar built and running,” said Alec Schrok, Mechanical Engineering major and corporate relations lead for the ERAU Motorsports Club. “If it wasn’t for the hard work of team lead Mark Kaufman (M.E.), project manager Keith Diringer (M.E.), machinist Tucker Hawkinson (M.E.), welder Andrew Goodwin (A.M.S.) and countless other team members, we would not have been successful.”

Learn more about the Embry-Riddle Motorsports entry in the Formula SAE competition.

Formula SAE is a student design competition organized by SAE International (formerly Society of Automotive Engineers). Over the course of three days, collegiate teams from throughout North America will have their racecars judged in a series of static and dynamic events, including technical inspection, cost, presentation, engineering design, solo performance trials and high performance track endurance. These events are scored to determine how well the car performs.

“Formula SAE is a great way for students to apply what they learn in the classroom. More importantly, they learn to be accountable and actually get things done, to make decisions and to turn ideas and talk into a functioning system with a million details,” said Formula SAE advisor and staff research engineer David Spitzer. “These lessons are valued by every career recruiter in every industry, and cannot be taught in the classroom.”

Embry-Riddle Motorsports Formula SAE sponsors include Blue and Gold Partners AeroShell, the Embry-Riddle Student Government Association and the College of Engineering. The team’s pit crew partner is Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. Additional partners include 3D Material Technologies, AlphaGraphics, Crane Cams, Magna International, SKF, Robertson Racing, Aurora Bearing Company, TST Industries, Dailey Engineering, American Performance Engineering, and Brown and Miller Racing Solutions.