Rice Motorsports, a newly established Rice University club sport, made its competitive debut at the inaugural Collegiate Racing Series race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, turning a frantic preparation period into a podium finish.
The team received its race car less than two weeks before traveling to Georgia for the Aug. 1-2 event. The Mazda MX-5 race car arrived without several components needed to compete, requiring students to work long hours to install parts, make repairs and prepare the car for the track. The team completed its first on-track test just one day before leaving for Atlanta.
“It was kind of a crazy story that we even got the car driving in the first place,” said junior Luke Mann, Rice Motorsports’ lead driver and director of racing operations.
The team’s preparation continued through the race weekend. Mechanics worked for hours in the heat to get the car ready, while drivers Mann and junior Ellis Vance learned to adapt to the car’s six-speed manual transmission. Mann had previous racing experience, while the Atlanta event marked Vance’s first car race.
Despite the limited preparation time, Rice was the fastest team in two practice sessions and qualified third. The team then finished third in its first race and fifth in its second, placing fourth in the championship standings after the opening weekend.
“I mean, I was smiling the whole time. It was an incredible experience,” Mann said. “But then yeah, we converted that 9 a.m. Sunday morning to a podium, and it was surreal.”
A historic first
Rice’s third-place finish came during the inaugural Collegiate Racing Series race, making the team part of the series’ first-ever podium. The series is the first of its kind to bring college teams together for wheel-to-wheel racing, distinguishing it from collegiate programs such as Formula SAE that primarily focus on engineering and vehicle development.
Despite just starting, the Collegiate Racing Series already includes more than 80 colleges and universities from across the country.
For team principal Molly Vance, the result marked the culmination of months of work to establish Rice Motorsports and get the team ready to compete.
“We were kind of just flying by the seat of our pants, and it was honestly like the most fun,” said Vance, a sophomore. “I think we were having more fun than any other team.”
The team’s next race is scheduled for Sept. 4-6 at NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Collegiate Racing Series’ second race weekend will feature two sprint races and an endurance race.
Mann said the strong debut gave the team confidence that Rice Motorsports can become a lasting part of the university’s club sports community.
“I think that cements us to where we’ve proven we can do this,” he said. “We have the speed. We have the right people. We have all the equipment we need. We’re here to stay.”
More information, including ways to support or get involved with the team, is available on the Rice Motorsports website.