Hot Wheelz places third in national competition

Hot Wheelz also takes home awards for Spirit and gracious professionalism

Hot Wheelz, the all-female race team, finished third in the electric category in its first national event, the Formula Hybrid competition at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Hot Wheelz, the all-female race team from Rochester Institute of Technology, finished third in the electric category in its first national event, the Formula Hybrid competition that took place May 2-5 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.

The team’s on and off track performance was also recognized with two additional trophies, the GM Spirit of Formula Hybrid and the Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s Gracious Professionalism awards.

Hot Wheelz held its own among a strong field of racecars from universities in the U.S., Canada, India and Turkey. After spending much of Wednesday evening fixing a suspension problem, the team participated in the endurance race the next morning. Hot Wheelz completed more than half of the required laps; only one team, the University of Vermont, completed all 44.

This is the 10th annual Formula Hybrid competition, hosted by Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. In the electric category, Binghamton Bearcats topped the field followed by the University of Vermont, Hot Wheelz and the University of Waterloo (Canada).

Shortly after the awards ceremony, the team posted a statement to its Facebook site: “For our first year of competition we couldn’t be happier with our performance. We battled through set backs and mechanical failures and got a chance to get out on the endurance course to show how awesome our car really is. This team is amazing, and we can’t wait to improve in years to come. Thanks to everyone who has supported our team from day 1 and believing we are a team to be reckoned with.”

Meet the Hot Wheelz team at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 7, at the Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival. They will be part of RIT’s performance vehicle unveiling—showcasing Hot Wheelz, RIT Baja and RIT Formula race cars and teams.

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