Illini Motorsports stands out in recent competitions

The Formula SAE Illini Motorsports team is coming off one of its most successful seasons in its 40-year history, according to team president Salam Mulhem (BS-Aerospace Engineering ’21).

“This season, across both the dynamic and static events, Illini Motorsports has seen its highest results in years,” Mulhem said. “Despite the hardships our team faced with COVID-19, we were able to rise to the top, displaying brilliant engineering, excellent performance, and the highest level of professionalism and leadership.”

The impressive results from three recent events are as follows:

Formula SAE Knowledge 
(Presenting engineering design, business rationale, and budgeting system to industry professionals)

• 1st  Overall
• 1st in Design
• 9th in Cost 
• 11th in Business

Formula SAE Las Vegas Validation
(Putting the car to the test in a variety of performance-displaying events)

• 3rd  Overall
• 3rd in Acceleration
• 7th in Skidpad
• 2nd in Autocross
• 4th in Endurance
• 5th in Fuel Efficiency

Formula SAE Michigan Validation

• 2nd Overall
• 1st in Acceleration
• 2nd in Autocross
• 3rd in Endurance
• 11th in Fuel Efficiency

The team competed against more than 130 top engineering teams from throughout the world.

“While the performance we have on the track gives us something tangible to celebrate, the true value of this team comes from the educational opportunities it provides,” Mulhem said. “Many of our students have gone to or are being actively being recruited by the biggest names in the industry, including SpaceX, Tesla, IMC, Apple, Microsoft, Apple, Ford, and NASCAR, all of which come specifically to our team for hiring.”