May 2, 2024
By Chloe Arrington

Wreck Racing, a student competition team at Georgia Tech, placed second overall at the 2024 Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge, held April 6-7 in Gainesville, Florida.

Wreck Racing is made up of students from different majors across the Institute, with many hailing from the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.

During this year’s competition, more than 30 teams competed in events across three categories, autocross, drag race, and concours, in vehicles they built. In addition to being sorted by tire class, car builds were entered into one of two sub-categories: those built for less than $2000 and those built without budget limitations.

Wreck Racing’s entry was based on a Factory Five 818 chassis with a custom turbocharged Honda K24 engine mounted in the middle.

“Our modifications were able to increase the engine’s output to 240 horsepower, 1.5 times the standard 160,” said industrial design student and Wreck Racing’s press secretary Andrew Knops. The chassis was wrapped in a repurposed 1990 Nissan 300zx body, and the build also featured a custom aerodynamics package.

Despite battling issues with engine sensors and broken shift linkages at the event, Wreck Racing achieved first place in vehicle class, first place in concours, and third place in the autocross event.

“After the racing had subsided, the cars were wheeled into the judging pavilion and every team gave a quick presentation to the judges outlining their build. The judges were impressed with our technical skills required on the build and our in-depth approach to optimizing our setup, awarding Wreck Racing first place in our class out of all 31 vehicles,” said Knops.

Industrial engineering student and team member Neel Sardana was inspired after seeing all the other cars at the competition. “I’m excited to pursue more and look forward to helping continue the legacy of Wreck Racing,” he said.

Mechanical engineering student and lead engineer Kandhan Nadarajah is excited about what’s to come, including new leadership and a new build. “We will hopefully go bigger and better than what Wreck Racing has done in the past,” he said.