The team started assembling the car from 2024 | Photo credit: Special arrangement
A racing car designed and developed by students of SRM Institute of Science and Technology won laurels at the recently held Formula Bharat national car competition. The 28-member Team Camber Racing took first prize in at least seven categories at the competition, making them one of the most successful teams in the internal combustion engine category at the competition.
The car was designed and built in the Institute’s laboratory by students under the guidance of K. Kamalakannan, Head of the Department of Automotive Engineering, and M. Jerome Stanley, Assistant Professor of Automotive Engineering.
Except for the engine, tires, rims, master cylinders and wheel cylinders, the car was almost entirely self-made, said Dr. Kamalakkanan. After rigorous training, the core group of students were selected from various departments such as automotive engineering, mechanical engineering, mechatronic engineering, aerospace engineering, electronics and communication engineering and even biotechnology. “It was a highly interdisciplinary team,” he added.
In addition to dynamic categories such as endurance, skidpad, autocross, acceleration, technical design and fuel consumption, the vehicle also won first prize in the category of sustainability and best practices. “The body is made of a composite material. The firewall, the part of the body that separates the engine from the driver, was developed from rice husks. It is resistant to heat and does not catch fire,” claims Dr. Kamalakkanan.
The team started assembling the car from 2024. It is powered by a KTM 390 cc single-cylinder engine. However, the students had to build a CAD model of the engine based on the physical model and present it to the organizers. “It is a year-round competition where simulations and test results are to be regularly shared with event organizers,” said Dr. Stanley. “There was a deadline for each specification and the students had to update the organizers regularly.”
Himanshu Kumar, a final year student of Electronics and Communication Engineering, was the team captain while Aryan Sampath Nair of Mechatronic Engineering was the vice-captain. Shashank Reddy from Automotive Engineering was the Technical Director and Rohit Ramesh from the same department was the Project Manager looking after public relations, fundraising and documentation. The main racing driver was TK Shakthiprasad from Automotive Engineering.
The final stage of the competition was held at Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore where about 60 teams from top engineering institutions of the country participated, added Dr. Stanley.
Published – 04 Feb 2026 05:30 IST
