Bob Woods typically takes a turn behind the wheel during Texas Autocross. This time, the longtime University of Texas at Arlington mechanical engineering professor and Formula SAE advisor stayed on the sideline.
"There are so many people here today. I'm not going to take a slot from somebody who drove 600 miles or more to be here," Dr. Woods said. "I'm ready to drive, but I'm going to let them have it."
That crowd filled UTA Parking Lot 49 throughout the weekend as UTA Racing, the University's Formula SAE team, hosted Texas Autocross Weekend. More than 110 student drivers from 22 teams from universities across Texas and the country raced 42 Formula SAE cars, from this year's competition cars to older models driven by alumni. The racing was free and open to the public.
For UTA students, the day carried a milestone of its own: the first official event for their new F26 race car, which team members say is the fastest one they've ever built.
A day to drive for fun
Formula SAE is a collegiate competition in which engineering students design, build and race small formula-style race cars. Teams build a new car each year for national or international competitions, where a car typically runs at a single event. Texas Autocross gives teams another chance to drive what they built.
"We put this event on so they can have more fun with their cars," Woods said. "It's still competitive—there are bragging rights—but without the pressure of a formal competition. For most of the teams, this is the highlight of the year."
Gautam Bose, a sophomore mechanical engineering student and the Cost and Business Lead for UTA Racing, called it "the most special day of the year for us."
The F26 hits the course
For Bose and his teammates, Saturday marked the track debut for the F26, the team's 2027 internal combustion race car.
"So far, it's proven to be the fastest car UTA has built, and we're hoping it can go even faster," Bose said.
Bose also works on aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics. His subsystem handles the areas of competition that happen off the track. That includes the cost report, which documents every purchase made to build the car, and a business presentation, a 75-point exercise in which the prompts change every year. Some years, it's a sponsorship pitch; other years, an explanation of the car's subsystems. Teams that reach the finals deliver a live 10-minute pitch.
Every car still running
The F26 shared the course with decades of UTA engineering. Woods, who founded UTA Racing and holds the Distinguished Chair in Automotive Engineering Endowed by Paul E. Andrews Jr., said the team has kept every car it has ever built, except for six sold to former team captains.
The oldest, a 1998 combustion car, revs to 19,000 RPM. On Saturday, it was driven by an alumnus who graduated 30 years ago.
The older cars double as teaching tools. Drivers compare how each one handles and carry those lessons into the next design.
"It's really valuable for students to drive an older car and say, 'I like this about that car, and I don't like that,'" Woods said.
Back as an alumna
Mariam Mohammed, a former UTA Racing team captain, knows the event from both sides. Last year, as a mechanical engineering student, she helped run setup for Texas Autocross—food, tables, trash, the cars and the people. She graduated in spring 2026 and now has a job in her field.
"Last year, I handled everything," she said. "This year, everything is handled for me."
She spent the day catching up with fellow alumni, meeting new students and checking what had changed on the cars.
Mohammed said the team shaped how she works with people by helping her identify her strengths and flaws and the importance of meeting deadlines.
"Working toward a goal and seeing it come to fruition once or twice before you go into the real world helps you understand what's important and what's not, and it helps you believe in yourself," she said. "More than anything, it gave me confidence."
That's why she thinks alumni should keep coming back.
"The friendships you make here blur the line between work and life," Mohammed said. "Seeing people come back from however far away gives you hope for the future that you'll always have a community."
About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
The University of Texas at Arlington is a growing public research university in the heart of Dallas-Fort Worth. With a student body of over 42,700, UTA is the second-largest institution in the University of Texas System, offering more than 190 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Recognized as a Carnegie R-1 university, UTA stands among the nation's top 5% of institutions for research activity. UTA and its 300,000 alumni generate an annual economic impact of $28.8 billion for the state. The University has received the Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and has earned recognition for its focus on student access and success, considered key drivers to economic growth and social progress for North Texas and beyond.
