Powering Future Engineers:
ATL Composites Drives University Motorsport Success
ATL Composites is proud to partner with several Australian university motor sport teams in their design and construction of vehicles to compete in the annual Formula SAE Australasia – the global student design competition where university teams design, build, and race small, open-wheeled formula-style race cars.
Held at Calder Park Raceway, Calder Park, Victoria, 11 to 14 December 2025, the event is organised by SAE International to encourage hands-on engineering experience, project management and teamwork, preparing students for careers in the automotive, industrial design and engineering industries.
The competition attracts between 25 and 30 teams from all over Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia.
ATL supplies product and support to uni teams including QUT, UQ, Griffith, Monash, University of Western Australia and Edith Cowan University.
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Motorsport is a student-run motorsport team that designs, engineers, builds and markets a single seat electric and autonomous race car each year for the Formula SAE-A competition.
Working as the Mechanical Manager on the QUT Team comprising students studying Engineering, Industrial Design and Business, Austin Ingleson is a Mechanical Engineer with an interest in Aerodynamics and Composites for motorsport applications, undertaking a double degree in Mechanical Engineering and Business Finance.
As Austin explains, each year’s design must vary significantly from the previous. “That means a different layout and methodology to make it stronger, stiffer and hopefully lighter. Aerodynamics is an important factor, and we’ve designed the vehicle with a big front wing.”
The open wheel race car is 2.5-metres long and 1.5-metres wide and will run using an electric engine imported from Fischer in Germany.
Working with the team at ATL Composites, the QUT team is using R118 resin and H126 hardener, and PrimeTex 200gsm Twill Weave, which Austin states leaves less room for resin to dimple when it’s setting, for a really nice finish.
“We love using the ATL products and appreciate Justin’s advice whenever we need it. We have used other brands, but the quality difference is so huge. ATL products are easy to work with and dry to a clear finish. This year we’re using a porous mesh that allows slower infusion around the outlets so we are able to create more complex geometries.”
More than a fun design challenge and exhilarating race experience, Formula SAE is brilliant hands-on experience, according to Austin.
“We work with real manufacturers and suppliers and we’re able to put theory into practice. It’s genuine real-world experience, which is vital.”
At Griffith University, Toby Cooper leads the Griffith Racing Team (GRT) composed of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering students whose expertise is complemented by Film & Media and Graphic Design colleagues who share a love of cars and manage the business side of operations.
“It’s really important to have different disciplines involved,” Toby states. “Not just for the different technical strengths, but looking at problems from a different perspective which is helpful.”
GRT has an impressive record of achievement in the past few years, including third overall in 2019, and a couple of wins in individual events.
This year, the GRT is building a vehicle to compete in the combustion engine category. “It’s fun to change it every now and then,” Toby states.
“We’re using an engine from a Yamaha R6 sports bike, and it’s pretty well optimised for low emissions. Of the 30 or so teams in the Australasian competition, the majority are electric. But the international competitions still use combustion engines, so we can compare our scores against theirs.”
The as yet, un-named carbon fibre vehicle was designed with wings on the front and back, and is shaping up well, according to Toby.
“I think we’re using the entire ATL catalogue,” he jokes.
“We’re using ATL carbon fibre reinforcement, KINETIX resin, Technirez on the moulds and for pattern making, and Duratec, which we especially love! It sprays on moulds so easily it makes me look like a pro!”
As Toby reports, ATL products provide a distinct edge over their competitors. “I’ve done a lot of composites courses and have used a variety of products, and ATL products are consistently high quality.”
At the University of Queensland, Magnus Blums, UQ Racing, Business Lead and Vehicle Dynamics Engineer, reports that his team is “the highest ranked Australian EV team in the world rankings for the second year in a row”.
“While never winning FSAE-A outright, we’ve consistently podiumed and placed in the top 5. In 2024 we won the Endurance and Cost events, demonstrating the outright pace of our hub-motor concept.
“We built a ground-up platform for our Autonomous testing in 2024, and are focusing on our first-ever driverless trackdrive at competition in 2025.”
This year they will compete in the Electric and Autonomous categories, with two separate cars (E42 and A48).
“Our 2025 EV is our first-ever 4WD car, with independent hub motors for each driven wheel,” he continues.
“We’ve completely redeveloped our traction control and torque vectoring systems to make the best use of the powertrain in both corners and in a straight line. We have always had one of the lightest cars at competition, and we expect this year to be no different.”
UQR uses ATL Composites’ high-quality dry fibres, consumables and films for their composite manufacturing, according to Magnus.
“We’ve begun infusing many of our composite parts, and ATL’s infusion flow mesh and spiral tube products have been perfect as we develop our manufacturing processes. We also use products from the Diab and Kinetix ranges.”
Advice and support from Justin have been gratefully received, he attests.
“We’re grateful to work have his expertise to draw on. Over past years it’s been invaluable to have his advice on selecting gelcoats and resin systems for our tooling, and how to best use ATL’s products.
“We’ve noted that, compared to other major suppliers, ATL’s products have performed consistently and reliably, which is hugely important for a student team developing our composite skills. Combined with the clear datasheets, instructions and support from Justin and the ATL team make their products a clear choice for our team.”
In Melbourne, Monash Motorsport is one of the country’s longest standing university Formula SAE teams, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and holds an impressive record at the annual competition, including overall winner of the EV category in 2024.
Oliver Levy, fourth year Mechanical Engineering student at Monash University, is in charge of composite design for their entry’s aerodynamics package.
There are around 100 members on the team, all contributing to the design and construction of the fully-electric car they will race this year. Called “M25” in honour of the team’s 25 years, the vehicle is a full re-design on last year’s model.
“It’s always tricky getting a new car going,” admits Oliver. “But we’re confident it will perform well at Calder Park in December.”
Their M25 features a full carbon fibre monocoque, custom in-hub motors and gearboxes, and complex suspension at the front and rear. A complete aerodynamics package is also made for the car featuring a front wing, side pods and a rear wing. Four students from the team are nominated to drive in the competition.
Aerodynamic performance and solid construction are everything when we’re designing the package, explains Oliver.
“It has to be lightweight, stiff and strong. But most importantly, the car must pass all the technical rules before we can even race, including deflection testing of the wings.”
The Monash team uses ATL’s Divinycell H60 foam core and ZW200 200gsm carbon fibre fabric across the package for their superior properties.
“It’s a nice, pliable fabric to work with and has a great weave closure factor. We use a thin 2-ply laminate for our wing surfaces, so it’s stiff and durable enough to work really well.”
The technical team at ATL Composites has been extremely helpful, Oliver continues. “They’ve been available for support and advice on how their complete range of products can suit our needs.”
The 2025 Formula SAE-A will be held 11 to 14 December at Calder Park Raceway, Calder Park, Victoria.
saea.com.au/fsaea-2025
