2025 Year Update

Hi guys, Sara here. It’s been an entire year since Cody’s last update, and wow what a year it has been. As we ring in the new year, I thought I’d recap our 2025 month by month. 

DM25 at FSAE Michigan

January 

The team ran headfirst into manufacturing season. Cody prepared the team well with a truck load of new fasteners and a boat load of argon. Once again, the VD production line was up and running, cranking out suspension arms at breakneck speed. Chassis was buttoning up the steering wheel and seat. Electrics was powering through, finalizing PCB designs and manufacturing the dyno harness. Aero finished up radiator sims and started endplate layups for the rear wing. Powertrain closed out design items and started developing an idle tune.  

Left: Aero showing off the new seat, Right: Cody welding from within the chassis

February

February brought welded suspension tabs, completed wheel assemblies, and an assembled pedal box. Aero finished rear wing lay ups and set their sights on floor molds and bodywork. Electrics started manufacturing the main harness, cutting and color coding like only Darya could. Powertrain got to work on engine mounting, finalizing carriers, and wrapping the prized plenum. Chassis proteges manufactured the steering wheel backplate, passing the VIWA knowledge to the next generation. Operations hosted a Panera fundraiser, also known as legal food points money laundering. The team rolled on down to SAE Carolina at the end of February, placing 3rd behind UNC Charlotte EV and IC.  

New hardware acquired at SAE Carolina

March

Once again women’s month, the team pushed hard towards a driving car. Weldness Wednesday™ moved the needle closer, tackling and tacking the remainder of tabs on the car. The car was finally graced with the FARB (aka the secondary front impact attenuator) and the RARB. Cooling, clutch, and fuel systems were installed. The brakes were bled, and electrics finished the final splices. Humza once again had pure electricity in his veins with the first engine start.  

Left: Electrics crew with a powered car, Right: Cody showing off Kayla's steminist stickers

April

On April 6^th, the 2025 competitor took its first drive, and one week later the car placed 3rd at Formula South Invitational hosted by Kennesaw State University. Later in the month, the team made the trip down to Michelin’s Proving Grounds in South Carolina for a testing weekend on 2 square miles of beautiful concrete. Operations began livery design, assisted by the lovely folks at Mincey’s Graphics. The overarching theme of the month was circuit lot glazing: finishing the first practice endurance, tuning shifting, and firing off accel runs.  

Left: All hands on deck, Right: DM25 tearing up the track at Kennesaw

May

May marked a month of firsts. The team was moving full steam ahead to FSAE Michigan. Just days before, a new plenum was laid up and installed on the car, final tech inspection items check were checked off, and the road to MIS was paved. The team had a breakthrough performance at FSAE Michigan: placing 16th out of 109 competing teams with 669.1 points scored, the most in team history. Additionally, this was the team’s first Endurance Event finish at FSAE Michigan in seven years. To top it all, the team took home a trophy with 2nd in the Business Presentation. Thousands of hours, late nights, early mornings, and runs to USPS delivery drivers later, this was the competition of a lifetime. Thank you to the 2025 seniors for your dedication and leadership to this team.  

Upper Left: Post-endurance hugs, Lower Right: Pre-hibachi selfie in the truck

June

Riding on the momentum of FSAE Michigan, the team quickly moved into summer design. New leads came in, filling big shoes (sometimes literally), but excited to learn. Chassis took a ground up approach with a new stiffness model and rear box delete. VD iterated new suspension geometry and set out to optimize upright design. Aero started from the back-to-basics approach of 2025 and purposefully increased the complexity of their designs. Powertrain rethought differential mounting and improving shifting performance. Electrics did a full analysis of 2025 issues, honing in on ways to improve reliability and data collection.  

Ritz looking at the new upright design

July

The team continued to steadily make progress through summer design, racking up the zoom minutes. A small Durham crew took DM25 out for two testing days, keeping the engine oiled and running smoothly. They battled through 100+ degrees conditions to gather critical suspension test data in the official “wheel chock” test.  

Wheel Chock Test Footage

August

Once back on campus, the team picked up the pace. Powertrain finalized intake design and set its sights on Pranav’s wish, an engine dyno. Aero started manufacturing the front wing at their first meeting of the year. The team welcomed a lovely group of eager new members at the team interest meeting. Thank you to City BBQ for keeping us fed and happy at this annual event. 

Left: Chassis welding lessons, Center: Interest meeting, Right: Electrics glazing

September

Early in September, the team had a visit from Jim Shaw, the Aero design judge and founder of Fastway Engineering. His lessons on CFD and FEA were instrumental in shaping the design cycle of the 2026 car. Also in September, the team was lucky to co-host information sessions with GM and SpaceX. On September 21st, the team drove down to the Michelin Shootout, in Laurens, SC. The team overcame rainy conditions, finishing yet another endurance and placing fourth at the event. As a car of “exceptional build quality”, the team hopes this won’t be the last time DM25, Ritzerator, takes to the competition track (Nikhil, 2025).  

Left: Team photo at Michelin, Right: Nikhil post Skid Pad

October

October marked a number of exciting events for the team- touring Team Penske’s facilities outside of Charlotte, dominating at the Duke@Nite F1 Trivia night, and volunteering at the 25th anniversary of Durham school days. Operations took the Instagram to the next level this fall, increasing views by over 275% month over month. After months of work, chassis locked in the final frame design. Vance worked hard to develop a manufacturing and testing procedure for a custom oil pan. Electrics and Powertrain collaborated on building, mounting, and testing two different shifting systems, solenoid and pneumatic. 

Left: Team visit to Team Penske, Right: Durham School Days

November

November saw the transition into manufacturing, starting with a welded chassis. Sritan and Ritz welded some dimes over Thanksgiving break, and thanks to a new jigging set up, the chassis was finished in a new record time. At 6:26 pm on 11/30, after 34.5 hours of work, the first views of Car 102 were taking shape. In November, the VD crew also started manufacturing with cutting tubes and welding top hats all before Thanksgiving break. Most importantly, cut-throat driver tryouts occurred at the VIR karting track.  

Upper Left: Ritz passing Owen at VIR, Lower Left: Welding crew with the finished chassis

December

December was a push to the end of the year, finishing up rapid harness design, closing in on a finished front wing, and welding suspension tabs. The dyno began to take shape with the mounting of the D100 and the manufacturing of the dyno harness. Lastly, the team once again celebrated the finished chassis with the annual chanquet party.  

Thank you to our sponsors and alumni for your continued support. As the team heads into 2026, it has been rewarding to look back on what a year 2025 was. With the success of FSAE Michigan and the strides towards the 2026 car, this year has set the team up well.  

Tapped, dialed, and nylocked for a seven week sprint to a driving car.  

Sara Canale  

2026 Team President