Powercat Motorsport Wins 2026 Formula Wheat

The Kansas State team secured a victory with their car, Calico, during the two-day collegiate engineering competition.

Updated on Oct. 29, 2026 in Motorsports

Expressive sports illustration of a purple collegiate racing car, capturing motion and speed on a track. — Powercat Motorsports secured first place at the 2026 Formula Wheat event in Manhattan, Kansas, finishing with 548.66 points in the competition. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Powercat Motorsports claimed first place overall at the 2026 Formula Wheat event, finishing with 548.66 points. Ten collegiate teams participated in the competition held at Kansas State University.

Why it matters

The event serves as critical practice for teams preparing for the national Formula SAE Michigan competition. It also allows students to develop technical skills and build professional relationships with peers.

Powercat Motorsports secured the win with an endurance event time of 18:29.1 for their car, Calico. The team outperformed the rest of the ten-team field by a 187-point margin.

The players

Powercat Motorsports

This is a student-led engineering team based at Kansas State University that designs and builds formula-style race cars.

Sooner Racing

This collegiate team representing Oklahoma made its debut appearance at the Formula Wheat competition.

The details

Teams competed in Acceleration, Skidpad, and Autocross events on the first day, followed by the concluding Endurance event on the second day. Sooner Racing joined the field for the first time during this iteration of the contest.

The Formula Wheat competition occurred on October 24-25, 2026.
The first edition of the competition took place in 2023.
Powercat Motorsports is scheduled to compete in Formula SAE Michigan on May 12-15, 2027.

Season Trajectory

This victory establishes Powercat Motorsports as a frontrunner heading into the national Formula SAE Michigan competition. The win provides a critical confidence and data boost for teams refining their vehicles before the larger spring event.

Powercat Motorsports secured their victory with a dominant 187-point lead over the runner-up from Missouri. This performance establishes a clear performance baseline for the winning Calico car ahead of future national qualifying trials.

The takeaway

Student teams use regional competitions to integrate new members and refine vehicle performance metrics. These early-season events are essential for identifying mechanical improvements before the final spring national build.