Team Details

Zips Racing is a part of The University of Akron and the team was created in 1989. The team prioritizes having a reliable car that is based around good handling characteristics and has good drivability. The latest car from the team is named ZR22 and features Goodyear 13" tires, carbon fiber half monocoque, full aero package with automatic DRS, and features a Yamaha WR450F engine. Zips Racing is here to design together, build together, and race together!

Zips Racing has been building car for competition since 1990. I those 28 year the team has seen the highs of 1st place overall finishes and the lows of DNF's on the last lap of endurance. Through it all Zips Racing has made a reputation for fast, well built cars. The ZR18 continues that tradition. With a focus on vehicle dynamics and tires. Akron's own Goodyear D2704's were selected as the tire of choice. Better team integration makes ZR18 more advanced than any before.

The Zips Racing team has produced its 26th vehicle since 1990, the ZR17. The design of the ZR17 revolves around our main philosophy of developing a vehicle that is simple yet lightweight and reliable. Placing a strong focus on design integration and advanced manufacturing processes has enabled us to produce a vehicle far superior to any in the past.

Since the start of Zips Racing in 1990 the team has strived to present a simple yet performant vehicle at competition. Our new vehicle, the ZR15, is no exception to this philosophy. Iterating on past designs the ZR15 joins years of knowledge in development to provide the most advanced vehicle that the Zips Racing team has to offer.

In order to effectively manage Zips Racing and achieve the highest level of performance during the season, the group established goals focused on both the team and vehicle. The team’s primary philosophy is centered on producing a vehicle that is simple in nature. Great attention to detail was employed throughout the design, construction, and testing of the ZR14.

For the 2013 season, Zips Racing has revolutionized their design philosophy to create a world class competitive car. The team focussed on implementing new ideas and technology in ways never accomplished before. The product is a vehicle that is both elegant and technologically advanced. This vehicle is sure to carry Zips Racing to new levels of worldwide achievement.

In 1999 Zips racing scored their first championship at an SAE event. Since then the team has been working hard to find their way back to the podium in Michigan. 2011 proved to be a huge success for Zips Racing. Having the opportunity to compete in the United States, Austria, and Germany the team has gained a vast amount of knowledge, which has been carried over to the 2012 season. With high exceptions and passion for 2012, the team has set their sights on placing in the top 5 overall at all competitions they compete in. See you at the starting line! Special thanks to all of the 2012 Zips Racing sponsors, we couldn't have done it without you!!!

The University of Akron’s 2011 Zips Racing vehicle, the ZR 11, was designed and built with three simple concepts in mind... consistency, reliability, and driveability. Using exotic materials and ingenuity the Zips Racing team managed to build and extremely light weight and maintainable race car. Some of the ZR 11’s highlights include a mandrel bent titanium exhaust system, student designed one piece magnesium wheels, cockpit adjustable roll control, electronically controlled gear shifting and a one piece SLA polycarbonate intake manifold. The overall project focused on an early completion thanks to a highly skilled and dedicated team. The ZR 11 will prove to be the fastest and most competitive car that the Zips Racing Team has ever built. Zips Racing would like to thank all of our sponsors and supporters because they couldn’t have done it without you!