Students at the American Muscle Car Museum in Melbourne, Florida.

Engineering in the fast lane

Article by Hillary Hoffman Photos courtesy of Steve Timmins and MEEG467 students March 04, 2026

UD students connect mechanical engineering concepts to real-world racing at Daytona International Speedway

Access to hands-on learning opportunities is a key reason Alexandra Alatzas chose the University of Delaware.

“Seeing something is 10 times more helpful than reading it in a book,” the senior mechanical engineering major said.

This January, Alatzas participated in Engineering in Motorsports (MEEG467), a Winter Session course that culminated in a trip to Daytona, Florida, for the Rolex 24-hour endurance race and related events.

Alatzas, who has served as president of UD’s Formula Society of Automotive Engineers for the past two years, expected the course to be fun, but was surprised by how much she learned.

“Students consistently report that this is one of the most informative courses they take, as it gives real-world context to their engineering academics,” said instructor Steve Timmins, an adjunct professor of mechanical engineering.

While the course began with a few classroom sessions, its focus was largely experiential. Students toured local destinations like the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, then traveled to Daytona in time for the Roar Before the Rolex 24, the tuning weekend ahead of the race. They visited museums and race shops in the lead-up to race weekend.

Launched in 2017, the course has built a strong alumni network. This year’s group of 10 undergraduates met alumnus Chris Deely, Class of 2019, at the New Jersey Motorsports Park, where they learned about the engineering behind race cars, data acquisition and race management. Deely, now team manager and crew chief for Van der Steur Racing, also met the class in Daytona, along with fellow alumna Lexi Fader, Class of 2019, a Boeing design engineer who supports the team with logistics and hospitality.

The alumni gave the students a technical briefing on Van der Steur Racing’s Aston Martin GT4 and GT3 race cars.

“I hadn’t realized just how much work goes into preparation before they even get to the track,” Alatzas said. During a tour of a Ford Racing trailer, she learned teams may run more than 1,500 simulations before a race and spend weeks analyzing sensor data afterward to optimize performance.

Check out highlights from the 2026 Engineering in Motorsports participants:

The class visited Van der Steur Racing in New Jersey, where Chris Deely, Class of 2019, provided an overview of race car engineering and race management.

The class learned about Van der Steur Racing’s Aston Martin Vantage GT4, which they later saw compete in Daytona.

Deely showed the students a carbon torque tube that connects the engine to the transmission. In the race car, the two are separated rather than bolted together, allowing the transmission to sit at the rear and helping achieve near 50-50 weight distribution for better handling and stability.

At the Roar Before the Rolex 24, Dylan Rafferty, a University Studies student, captured this image of one car overtaking another for the lead in the LMP3 race.

While at Daytona, the class spoke with Ford Racing race engineers and toured their team trailer. The engineers explained the data collection systems used during practice and the race, where a team of roughly a dozen specialists analyzes information in real time and advises drivers on power, handling and fuel-economy settings.

Ford Racing offered three students, including Alexandra Alatzas (right), a chance to ride along in a Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC during a high-speed practice run, or hot lap. Course instructor Steve Timmins (second from right) managed to secure a seat in a BMW for his own hot lap.

Steve Timmins took this image from inside a BMW M4 Competition during a hot lap.

Engineering in the fast lane: https://capture.udel.edu/media/1_r86865d8/

Alexandra Alatzas shot this video from a Ford Mustang Dark Horse during a hot lap. “It was insane how drastic the banking is,” she said. “From an outside view you don't realize how steep it is, and it was a totally different feeling in a car.”

A long-standing tradition at the Rolex 24 is to allow the fans to sign the track before the start. Myles Wommack, a junior mechanical engineering major, captured this image of all the UD students’ signatures.

Michael Beckley, a senior mechanical engineering major, captured this view of the banking at Daytona International Speedway. This section is banked at 18 degrees, while the turns are more steeply inclined at 31 degrees.

Connor Cederholm, a junior mechanical engineering major, captured this image of the class at the Rolex 24. “We were all in the grandstands watching until the very last lap,” he said.