The newly built race car comes in at 153 kg.
The ECU Racing team is gearing up for an adrenaline-fueled December as they head to Melbourne to compete in the prestigious Formula SAE-A event in their newly designed and built race car.
The student-led team will put their engineering and racing skills to the test against 27 university teams from across Australia and internationally. The competition marks a major milestone in months of innovation, teamwork, and dedication as the team showcases ECU's growing strength in motorsport engineering and design.
Implementing lessons learned following their win at the Formula Student 2024 event, in the UK, the team's Head of Aerodynamics, Cian Butler, said the 18-month development cycle has allowed the team to push boundaries in the fabrication and design.
"We were able to explore a new development route for the chassis of the race car, which has allowed us a more tailored approach to the fabrication, which has saved on weight," Cian said.
The newly built race car comes in at 153 kg, which is lighter than the 164 kg car from last year, in which the team won the Formula Student 2024 UK event.
"A 10 kg drop in weight doesn't sound like much, but for a race car, it could make a world of difference. And that's something our team is very proud of," Team Leader Sebastian Fiorenza said.
The core ECU Racing team is made up of around 20 ECU students from a diverse range of disciplines, bringing together expertise from across multiple fields of study.
Cian said the experience allows students to gain hands-on knowledge across every stage of designing and building the race car, rather than focusing on just one area, while also developing valuable life skills such as teamwork and time management along the way.
Sebastian noted that any student at ECU, who has a passion for speed and a willingness to commit their time and energy into the project, would be welcomed to join.
"If you want to be part of the team, we would be more than happy to have you. We have had a large intake of first-year students this year, and it's been great to see.
"We are excited for what lies ahead of the team this year, and to making our mark at Formula SAE-A in December."
Dr Kevin Hayward, who oversees the project, said ECU Racing was an incredible example of applied learning in action.
"The students are not only building a highly competitive race car, but they're also building real-world skills in problem-solving, innovation, and collaboration that will serve them throughout their careers. Seeing students from diverse backgrounds apply the knowledge and skills they've gained is exactly what university learning is all about."
