Powercat Motorsports hosts annual racing competition and hands-on skill display
Revving their engines, eight university motorsports teams prepare to race in Manhattan at the annual Formula Wheat, a racing competition for colleges across the Midwest, hosted by K-State’s Powercat Motorsports.
All cars are designed and built by university student teams and are powered by motorcycle engines, giving them the name of Formula SAE. To prepare for the competition, student teams work together for months using welding, sheet metal fabrication, 3D printing and other manufacturing techniques to create their cars.
“A race car doesn’t build itself in a day; most of us are in the shop 40 hours a week or so doing whatever it takes to get it done,” said Tyler Calgren, senior in mechanical engineering and president of Powercat Motorsports. “There’s a lot of time and effort that goes into it.”
Competition commencement
For the actual competition, four events are completed:
- Skidpad: a figure eight acceleration 75-meter drag race
- Autocross: a cone course that serves as a qualifier for the next event
- Endurance: the 11-mile race
- Acceleration: a measurement of the car’s ability to accelerate in 75 meters
Whichever car makes it to the final event and accelerates the fastest wins.
Each year brings new teams and new cars, but the atmosphere is always the same: strong bonds between teammates, hands-on learning, and confidence-building in skills and decision-making.
By Kate Ellwood
Curated from Domestic and international wins for Formula SAE