Kattankulathur:
Move over Formula 1 — India’s next generation of engineers just proved that horsepower can also come with brainpower. SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) is celebrating a landmark moment as its student team, Team Camber Racing, stormed to the National Championship at Formula Bharat 2026, delivering what can only be described as a near-perfect lap around the competition.
At the prestigious student motorsport event, Team Camber Racing didn’t just win — they dominated every major category. The team secured first place in Endurance, Skidpad, Autocross, Acceleration, Engineering Design, Fuel Economy, and Sustainability & Best Practices, along with the coveted Best Driver Award. In racing terms, that’s a clean sweep; in academic terms, it’s an A+ with extra credit.
The team was mentored by Dr. Leenus Martin, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, and Dr. K. Kamalakannan, Head, Department of Automobile Engineering, SRMIST — proving once again that behind every fast car is an even faster faculty brain.
Leading the charge was Himanshu Kumar, Captain and final-year student from the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering. He was supported by Vice Captain Aryan Sampath Nair (Mechatronics Engineering), Technical Director Shashank Reddy (Automobile Engineering), Project Manager Rohit Ramesh (Automobile Engineering), and Chief Race Driver TM Sakthiprasad (Automobile Engineering). Together, the team blended electronics, mechanics, computing, and plenty of caffeine into one championship-winning machine.
Commenting on the achievement, Dr. C. Muthamizhchelvan, Vice Chancellor, SRMIST, said,
“Seeing our students push boundaries, innovate on the track, and achieve this national win is truly inspiring. Team Camber Racing embodies the energy, creativity, and dedication that SRMIST encourages in every student. This victory shows what can happen when passion meets hands-on learning.”
Adding to this, Faculty Advisor Dr. Jerome Stanley noted,
“This outcome reflects the students’ consistency, technical discipline, and ability to tackle complex engineering challenges as a team. Competitions like Formula Bharat turn classrooms into real-world laboratories, where learning becomes practical, accountable, and deeply collaborative.”
Beyond trophies and podium photos, the win highlights how student-led motorsport platforms are shaping industry-ready engineers. Alumni from such teams often go on to work with automotive OEMs, EV startups, motorsport outfits, and R&D centres — basically, the same people who will design the cars the rest of us dream of owning.
With this emphatic victory, SRM Institute of Science and Technology strengthens its position on India’s automotive innovation map, proving that the future of Indian mobility is not just electric or autonomous — it’s also being built by students who know how to make both machines and ideas race ahead.
