Longhorn Racing boasts a group of over 300 students passionate about automobiles and racing who design and manufacture cars over the course of an academic year. The group consists of three major teams: solar, combustion and electric, and each gets the chance to show off their creations at various events throughout the year.
With two days of presentations and showcases, the Austin Auto Festival (AAF) took place at Q2 Stadium on Saturday and Sunday, featuring dozens of automotive groups and corporations, including Longhorn Racing. Showing off their electric vehicle of the 2023-2024 school year, Angelique, named after a Kenny Loggins song, weighs around 370 pounds and can go from 0 to 60 in about three seconds and boasts 107 horsepower. Ivy Beltran, a member of the electric team, said that the group went to AAF to showcase the electric vehicle they designed last fall and manufactured in the spring.
“We have a little area designated to us, provided by the Austin Auto Festival, where people can come up to our booth and talk about the car,” Beltran said. “We’re able to talk about Longhorn Racing, the history, what we plan to do in our future … we are able to do more outreach.”
Beltran, a radio-television-film sophomore, said she initially felt unsure if there was a place for her in Longhorn Racing since she is not an engineering student, but she found that her major ended up contributing in valuable ways to the organization.
“I have a lot of experience with camera equipment and software,” Beltran said. “My major has really been able to contribute to the team through our YouTube videos or Instagram content. I’ve been able to help the electric team better edit their content, teaching them about things like shot lists and scripts.”
Dylan Dubinsky, a government senior and a driver for the electric team, said his involvement with Longhorn Racing helped him improve at working in a team and problem solving at a competition where he got to drive the car earlier in the year.
“We didn’t actually get the car to drive under its own power until we were at the competition itself,” Dubinsky said. “So the first lap that I drove at the competition … was the first lap I’d ever been in the car. That was somewhat of a stressful but also cool experience.”
He said interacting with so many different people interested in automobiles and Longhorn Racing proved memorable, specifically his interaction with a mother whose son was passionate about racing.
“She was like, ‘I don’t follow any of that, but you guys are the Longhorns, and so I want to follow y’all,’” Dubinsky said. “That stuck out to me … because this woman doesn’t know racing … but sees us and wants to back us because she loves UT.”
Pranav Yedavelli, a math and economics junior and corporate relations officer, secures funding for the organization’s vehicles and equipment. With each vehicle costing between $60,000 and $70,000 to build, attending events like the Austin Auto Festival is an important part of building relationships and showcasing the work of the student organization.
“There’s definitely a lot of work to be done, and it can be stressful at times, but I also think it’s a lot of fun, and it provides a lot of unique opportunities,” Yedavelli said.
