Auburn’s Formula SAE racing team reveals latest racecars ahead of competition season

War Eagle Motorsports (WEMS), the Auburn Formula SAE Racing Team, has unveiled its 2021 competition combustion and electric racecars to the public.

The group consists of 22 engineering students, with each WEMS team member responsible for an assigned section of the car to design and manufacture.

“A typical year for us consists of design season from August to October, and manufacturing and testing begins immediately after,” explained Matt Miller, WEMS team captain. “It is an incredibly large project to take on and complete every year.”

The combustion racecar, after being redesigned and iterated for 25 years, is now a heavily optimized car. In comparison to last year, it boasts a new aerodynamics package, exhaust system and updated vehicle control systems.

The electric racecar is a full carbon monocoque chassis designed around new tires, a custom 600 V accumulator, Emrax electric motors and Cascadia Motion motor controllers. 

The combustion car will be competing at the Michigan International Speedway July 7-10. Additionally, WEMS is the only US team invited to the Formula Student Austria competition, but due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the team is unable to attend.

The electric car will compete in Las Vegas June 16-19.

Miller foresees a competitive summer as his team members gain valuable experience aligning with the industry direction. 

“The team is moving up into competing in the FSAE Electric series,” says Miller. “Our team has been one of the better US teams and should be able to return to the top this season. As we move into electric, we will be able to compete with the best teams around the world at Formula Student Germany.” 

To stay up to date on WEMS happenings, follow them on Instagram.