For the second straight year, the Formula Car Team at Missouri University of Science and Technology is ranked among the Top 20 university racing teams in the world.

Missouri S&T is currently ranked No. 19. The S&T team finished last year ranked No. 5 out of 400 teams. Rankings are available at http://mazur-events.de/fs-world/ .

The racing season starts May 12-15 in Detroit. Missouri S&T will also compete June 16-19 in Fontana, Calif. The competitions are sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Each year, Missouri S&T students design and build a mini Indy car for the competitions. This year’s car weighs 430 pounds (without a driver) and accelerates from 0-to-60 mph in under four seconds. Top competition speeds are limited to 70 or 80 mph.

“Our aero package sets us apart from other teams, which don’t have wings,” says Adam Hardin, a senior in mechanical engineering from Festus, Mo.

According to Hardin, the car’s wings slow the vehicle slightly in straightaways but allow for much better cornering.

During competitions, teams are judged in several categories, including acceleration and endurance. Hardin says the team takes several sets of Goodyear racing slick tires to each event.

The Formula Car Team is one of several design teams at S&T. The university will soon begin renovating a building to house all of the teams under one roof and allow space for engineering projects. The new design center will be home to the Formula Car Team, the Solar Car Team, the Concrete Canoe Team and others.

Hardin, who will graduate soon, believes his design team experience will pay dividends. “Every job interview I’ve had so far was centered on the formula car,” he says. “They want to know about design teams.”