Engineering students at UMR will enter their formula-style race car at a global competition May 19-23 in Michigan.

The UMR Formula Race Car Team will participate in Formula SAE, a worldwide competition of college and university teams at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich. The contest, which is sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers, is designed to showcase students’ engineering skills.

The competition pits the UMR vehicle, designed and built by the students, against cars from 140 other colleges and universities around the world. Each team designed a prototype racing car for evaluation and possible production by a fictional automotive manufacturer. The cars will be judged according to static engineering design, cost analysis, acceleration, maneuverability, fuel economy, endurance and other factors.

Last year, UMR’s team placed 9th in the design and presentation event and 34th overall.

Dr. Hank Pernicka, associate professor of aerospace engineering, is the team’s chief faculty adviser.

This year’s team has a record 50 members. "This year we have a very strong team," says team leader Chris Ford of Springfield, Mo., a senior in aerospace engineering. "The members are truly dedicated."