WWU Racing celebrates best-ever finish at Formula SAE nationals in Michigan
The race car design team at Western Washington University saw success at the national level during a Formula SAE competition last month at Michigan International Speedway.
WWU Racing placed 17 overall out of 100 teams, which is the best finish in the team’s history. The team of about 30 members — with a budget of $60,000 to $80,000 a year — placed among several schools that had teams of well over 100 people and a budget around $250,000.
“The team feels ecstatic. They feel super wonderful. They are super proud. I’m really proud of them and how far we have come as a team,” Project Manager Rye Petter told The Bellingham Herald. “I think the team has definitely grown a lot. They have learned a lot from the competition and over the year in general.”
Jacob Spinello, the team’s technical director and one of their four drivers, graduated at the end of the 2026 school year. This was his last chance to succeed in the national competition, and he got to be a part of the team that made school history.
“It’s a cool feeling to know that 10 years from now people will probably still be talking about this car and the team involved in it,” Spinello said.
Despite the competitive success, Petter said the goal of the program isn’t just to build an excellent car, but to create industry professionals. It doesn’t matter if they are building a race car, a rocket ship or a submarine, this is firsthand experience for students at a high level. He said doing well in a competitive environment means those students are likely to have great success in their future careers.
“The end goal is to make engineering-ready students,” Spinello said.
The WWU entry is a formula-style racecar with an electric engine, center-set driver’s seat and open wheels. It is a lightweight vehicle built for sharp turns and acceleration more so than top speed, Petter said.
The competition is not just a test of which car can get around the track the fastest, but a test of overall vehicle engineering, performance and marketability.
The competition starts with three days of technical inspections to make sure it is safe to drive. Most teams don’t pass the inspections, which have a 60% failure rate, according to Petter. He said at the end of the day, these are racecars built by students who don’t have a lot of experience. Making an electric vehicle that is safe to drive and won’t electrocute the driver is a success in itself.
The team is tested on everything from endurance and battery efficiency to how well they can sell the vehicle. One of the competitions is a business presentation, where the team has to convince a fake sponsor to invest in the vehicle.
WWU Racing did their best work on the battery efficiency competition, placing third among about 100 schools. Spinello said they had expected their efficiency to do well, and placing well in every other category was “just the cherry on top.”
“There were a lot of tears, and hugging and cheering afterward,” Spinello said.
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