The race is on for these Blue Devils

SOUTHFIELD — Teams of Lawrence Technological University students have built their own vehicles from scratch this year to race at competitions across the country in the spring and summer.

After several months of planning, prepping, constructing, testing and problem-solving, the Blue Devil Motorsports teams unveiled their 2026 competition race vehicles April 7 at the college’s Buell Building with students, faculty, family and friends in attendance.

With financial and moral support from various sponsors and businesses, there were five teams. Team captains gave presentations about their vehicles and thanked the faculty members. Here is a look at their creations.

 

The SAE aero design, known as ‘Levi the Wizard,’ already took flight
The students designed, built, tested and flew a heavy-lift, radio-controlled aircraft in the Society of Automotive Engineers Aero Design West Competition March 6-8 in Lakeland, Florida. The crew finished eighth overall out of 40 teams and placed first out of the competing Michigan schools.

“Our aircraft is divided into five primary subsystems: the fuselage, the wing, the tail, the landing gear and the electronics,” said captain Tim Williams, of Clinton Township. “At the competition, we flew seven times. Each flight required patience and adaptability. Our fastest time was 28 seconds out of a minute. When I look at our aircraft, it really represents our team.”

The students had to figure out how to use dual motors and a smaller battery than what was required in the past. The aircraft must carry a specified payload of water bottles to achieve the highest payload-to-empty weight ratio. The aircraft must take off within 100 feet and land within 400 feet of the designated runway area.

“At the end of the day, this competition isn’t just about performance numbers or flight scores,” Williams said. “It’s about the process, the teamwork and the engineering mindset, and the ability to adapt when things don’t go your way.”

 

Baja SAE
The team designed, built and tested a single-seat, off-road vehicle known as the Baja SAE. Captain Allison Anastas, of St. Clair Shores, said the team will compete June 11 in Rochester, New York.

“We are one of the smallest Baja teams that LTU has had in years, and also one of the smallest teams amongst all of our competitors,” Anastas said. “We’re excited to see how our car competes and represents LTU at competition this summer.”

The Baja SAE competition is made up of static and dynamic events. Static events include a design presentation, a sales presentation, and prototype vehicle cost. Dynamic events include acceleration, suspension, maneuverability and traction courses. The culminating event is a four-hour, head-to-head endurance event.

“None of this would be possible without the support or our sponsors. We would like to thank each and every one of you for your contributions between materials, funding, technical support,” Anastas said. “Thank you everyone for coming out and supporting Blue Devil Motorsports. I can speak on behalf of all of us. We really appreciate it.”

 

Formula Electric
The group of students designed, fabricated, assembled and tested an all-electric, formula-style, open-wheel race car. Lead structural engineer Abigail Rey said the vehicle will compete at the 2026 Formula Hybrid+Electric competition at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway April 26-30.

“LTU runs on theory and practice. As engineers, we spend a lot of our time with our head buried in books studying the theory behind how and why the world works. This project is a true testament to the engineering experience,” Rey said. “All 20 team members have been forced to grow as students, problem-solvers, professionals and leaders. It forces us to look up, look forward and look at what is truly in front of you and practice those habits we worked so hard to instill.”

The team’s main objective is to participate in all the dynamic events in hopes to score within the top 10 teams at the competition.

“This vehicle is robust and prepared to withstand each of the dynamic events at our competition,” said Rey, of Midland. “We emphasize driver safety and team member safety above everything else.”

 

Formula SAE
The students conceived, designed and fabricated a small, formula-style, open-wheel race car with an internal combustion engine. The co-captains are Franco Bella and Michael Bentham. There were 18 team members divided into six subsystems: drivetrain, power train, aerodynamics, suspension, electrical and chassis.

“We will be racing at Michigan International Speedway against over 100 teams from different schools around the world,” said Bella, a Lancaster, California, resident attending​​ LTU. “This will be taking place May 13 through 16.”

The formula SAE will be judged on engineering design, presentation, cost and performance, including acceleration, skid-pad, autocross, fuel economy and an endurance race. Bella acknowledged all the BDM students.

“It’s truly been an honor and a privilege not only to be a part of this team but to be a part of the Blue Devil Motorsports program,” Bella said. “We turned five teams into one united program. We worked together all of the time. No matter what happens, we are one united program.”

 

Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition
This robotics competition challenges college teams to design and build autonomous unmanned ground vehicles. This year’s competition will take place May 29 through June 1 at Oakland University in Rochester. One of the captains, Alyssa Bloomfield, of Kalamazoo, shared details about the team’s ground vehicle, called the Blue Box.

According to the website ltu.edu/motorsports, the robot must negotiate around an outdoor obstacle course under a prescribed time while maintaining a minimum speed of 1 mph over a section and a maximum speed of 5 mph.

“It’s about an 800-foot course. There are different paths, like potholes or cones, and it has a ramp as well,” Bloomfield said. “We have five minutes to complete it. We use path planning to work through the white lines, and we use GPS signals to navigate through the areas where there are no courses marked.

“Overall this year we went with a much different design than some of our previous competition vehicles,” Bloomfield said. “This year, our main mechanical focus was to implement a swivel drive mechanism. This means we have independent steering over all four corners of our vehicle. A big part of our competition is our control.”