THE HISTORY BEHIND PARKS RACING
21 YEARS OF PARKS RACING
Every car in Parks Racing history has a story - a comeback, a breakthrough, a lesson learned at competition. Here's how the program grew to where it is at today.
OUR HISTORY
The product of the first ever Parks Racing Team.
The first attempt at this collegiate competition made an appearance in Brooklyn, MI in 2005. After 3 years in the making, this group was able to demonstrate a strong performance. However, their debut was sadly cut short by a rod end failure late in the endurance test.
Between the Fall of 2014 and the Spring of 2015, the first iteration of the new design began to take shape in the form of #61.
The team spent the next year expanding the club and gaining committed members. It was a tough task, but their car was completed just in time for competition in Lincoln in 2016. A brake failure at one of the wheels kept the team from passing the braking test in time to enter the dynamic events.
The finest vehicle to ever be produced by Parks Racing.
#31 saw drastic improvements to suspension, bodywork, brakes, ergonomics, chassis, and countless other vehicle subsystems. Sadly, the race week was cut short for Parks Racing in Lincoln due to the tilt test. The team was aware of what caused the fault, but due to limited time, was unable to correct the issue quick enough.
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A group of 5 underclassmen stumbled on the remains of the club in 2013.
Although inexperienced, these students were highly driven and determined to restart the club. With time and resources against them, they completed a car from scratch, #58, which they entered in the competition in Lincoln, NE.
Unable to pass the exhaust noise test,they returned home and immediately began on a new design; which has become the foundation for Parks Racing's most recent cars.
In preparation for the 2017 Michigan competition, Parks Racing's #91 was born - an iteration of #61 reworked and optimized.
Systems were improved upon, as well as the design feedback from #61. Despite coming 6 laps short of completing the endurance, the team saw great success at competition. The club earned 4th in the cost competition and received the highest score for craftsmanship and fit-and-finish.
This project was formally started in the Fall of 2024 by a group of seven new students who revitalized the club once again.
As Parks Racing's first electric vehicle, extensive preparation and learning were required before development could begin. In 2026, we proudly returned to Formula SAE competition for the first time in six years.
Although we were unable to complete our electrical system in time to compete in the events, we gained invaluable feedback from the design judges and returned with countless ideas to improve PR6.
Reaching competition alone was a major milestone for a first-year EV team, and the experience laid a strong foundation for the future of Parks Racing.
