Still making history

The Formula Student team from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) has successfully defended its international title at Formula SAE Michigan, thanks to its victory in the 2026 edition of this prestigious competition held at the Michigan International Speedway (USA).

The triumph reinforces the UPV's position as a global benchmark in university engineering and student motorsport, having also become, in 2025, the first Spanish university to win this international event in the combustion category.

The Valencian team, part of the UPV's Generación Espontánea project, competed against 120 universities from around the world, and was also the sole Spanish representative at this year's event. Among the participants were some of the most prestigious institutions from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy and Brazil.

The single-seater developed by the team excelled both in the static tests — focusing on engineering design, costs and project presentation — and in the dynamic tests, where teams put the performance, acceleration, endurance and efficiency of their vehicles to the test.

This year's prototype, the twelfth built by the team, features a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, a new aerodynamic package developed entirely by the students, and a KTM 690 single-cylinder engine, one of the key technical innovations of this year's event.

The delegation that travelled to the United States was led by Dani Castiella, Carlos Marco and Arturo Pérez, who have worked for months with the team on the design, manufacture and fine-tuning of the vehicle.

The Rector of the UPV, José Capilla, who accompanied the team in Michigan during the competition, congratulated the members of the team upon learning the final result.

"What these students have achieved is extraordinary. They have once again placed the UPV and Spain at the very top of one of the most demanding university technology competitions in the world. Here in Michigan, I have seen the level of effort, professionalism and passion with which they have worked for months to achieve this new success," said the Rector.

Formula SAE, organised by SAE International since 1981, is considered the world's most prestigious university automotive competition and brings together engineering teams from the leading international universities every year.

With this latest triumph, the UPV reaffirms its international leadership in practical training, innovation and university technological talent.

About Generación Espontánea UPV

Generación Espontánea is a programme at the Universitat Politècnica de València that fosters student projects in a wide range of fields, promoting applied learning and the development of cross-disciplinary skills. It brings together 65 teams from different disciplines, involving nearly 3,000 students.