Whelen Engineering Sponsors UNH Precision Racing Team

Whelen Engineering is excited to be a platinum sponsor of the University of New Hampshire Precision Racing Team as they compete in the 2022 Formula SAE international competition. Formula SAE ® series competitions challenge students to design, fabricate, and develop formula-style racecars, giving students the chance to demonstrate and improve their creative and engineering skills. The UNH Precision Racing team is comprised of student engineers with a specific interest in motorsports and automotive engineering, and Whelen has a long history of involvement with the program. The students began designing their car in September of 2021 and will ultimately test their build at the Michigan International Speedway in May, when more than 120 teams from around the world come together for three days of competition and racing. The team has made tremendous progress on their build, and we can’t wait to see the final product.

Over the years we’ve been fortunate to recruit many talented engineers from this program. Whelen’s supervisor of engineering manufacturing in New Hampshire, Tyler Young, was on the precision racing team for four years and served as captain his senior year. “The project teaches crucial aspects of working in manufacturing like teamwork, meeting deadlines, and working with cross-functional teams,” Tyler said. “I truly believe the experience is a great steppingstone to becoming a successful manufacturing engineer,” he added. Now in a leadership role at Whelen, Tyler remains involved with the program and works closely with current students on the project.

Mitch Conley, a manufacturing engineer in our New Hampshire facility, was project lead in 2019 as he completed his mechanical engineering degree. Of his experience on the team Mitch said, “It’s the best exposure to a high-pressure, high-expectation, and high-demand project that a student can undergo. The project is both technically challenging but also demands disciplined project management skills.” Mitch believes working on the team was a critical part of his college experience. “The project is what tied everything together. Being a part of the Formula SAE team was the most significant contribution to my education to prepare me for working as an engineer at Whelen,” he said.

We’ve sponsored the UNH Precision Racing Team for more than ten years and we’re thrilled to continue our involvement with this amazing program that bridges the gap between classroom teaching and hands-on engineering and manufacturing experience. Our president and CEO, Geoff Marsh, is a big believer in the merit of the program. “The race team program cultivates a strong mix of vision, hands-on skills, and teamwork to achieve valuable engineering experience in solving complex problems,” Geoff said. “We’ve hired engineers from this program who have been huge contributors to some of our most advanced automation processes,” he continued.

Whelen is proud to support the next generation of American engineering and manufacturing and we look forward to cheering for the UNH team when they take to the track next month! To learn more about Formula SAE racing please visit www.faseonline.com.

Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to race day!