After a two-year absence from international competitions because of COVID-19, this month three Israeli universities will race in Formula Student, a series of international competitions in which university teams compete to design, manufacture, and race the best performing racecars.
The inaugural Israeli Formula SAE Race, slated for October 20-21, will feature The Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University, and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. This year's Technion team is its largest ever, made up of more than 60 students from various faculties, according to the university.
Muans Omari, a master’s student in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Technion, will head his team. This is his third year participating in the project; he started out as a volunteer and driver, subsequently progressed to head of the engine crew, and since 2021, has served as the Technion’s project lead. As a driver, he won first place driving on the figure-8 Skidpad circuit in the Czech Republic in the summer of 2019, just before the global COVID-19outbreak. During that race, the Technion unveiled the lightest car in the history of the competition, which weighed in at just 132 kg of advanced technology, after “Technion Formula” shed 120 kg in just three years.
“After two years in which we were prevented from participating in races in Europe because of the pandemic, we decided to bring the race to Israel,” said Omari, “and the three universities that will be competing in October – the Technion, Tel Aviv University, and Ben Gurion University – are fully on board. This is a unique, adrenaline-intensive motorsport event that combines engineering theory and technological applications. We believe it will have a direct impact on the vehicle industry in Israel and encourage investors and local firms to develop vehicles and other relevant products.”
In August 2021, an opening ceremony was attended by experts from the Ministry of Transportation, who advised the teams on adapting the car to comply with licensing requirements in Israel.