About Us
Event History
As an student and alumni-run organization
We started organizing the Pittsburgh Shootout after participating in the Formula North competition in Barrie Ontario. Inspired by the independent competition and leveraging our great relationship with Pittsburgh International Race Complex, we hosted the first Pittsburgh Shootout for 7 schools.
2016
9 cars competed at the first Pittsburgh Shootout held on August 17, 2016. Carleton University from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada took first place at the event.
2017
After a first successful year, enrollment in the event doubled to 18 cars. Teams from as far away as Missouri drove in to compete. Again, Carleton's Ravens Racing took 1st place. The Ohio State University took 2nd, and Rutgers University with 3rd.
2018
The Pittsburgh Shootout grew to 20 teams in 2018 and proved to be a competitive day! It was blistering hot July day without a drop of rain and track activity from 10-5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor dethroned the defending champions Carleton Raven's Racing to take the 1st place trophy.
2019
The Pittsburgh Shootout grew to 28 teams in 2019! Mother Nature gave us two extremes over the 4th of July weekend with brutal heat and humidity and a vicious downpour at 3pm. However, the rain didn't dampen our spirits. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor defended their title of first place, with newcomers McGill Formula Electric and Michigan State Racing taking 2nd and 3rd.
The 2019 Pittsburgh Shootout was sponsored by ANSYS, Uber ATG, and ShelterLogic.
2021
The Pittsburgh Shootout celebrated her 5th(ish) anniversary in August 2022. A humble, smaller event compared to 2019, 26 cars arrived to fight for glory. University of Michigan Ann Arbor won once again in their last season as an IC team, with newcomers LSU Tiger Racing coming in 2nd and Purdue FSAE coming in 3rd. Thanks to a timing mistake, both LSU and Michigan State Racing got to take home 2nd place trophies. Oops!
The 2021 Pittsburgh Shootout was sponsored by Motional, ANSYS, and BRAID USA.
2022
The Pittsburgh Shootout hosted the 6th event on July 9 2022. Newcomers Formule ETS dethroned Michigan Ann Arbor for their 1st place victory in the Autocross event. The top 3 teams were all from the EV class: ETS, Ann Arbor, and Polytechnique Montreal respectively. 2022 marked the first event with showings from Canada, USA, and Mexico, and was a clear feather in the cap of our Quebecois friends and the EV class.
The 2022 Pittsburgh Shootout was sponsored by Motional, ANSYS, and Gecko Robotics.
2023
The Pittsburgh Shootout hosted the 7th event on September 2, 2023. MRacing dominated the EV class, and Illini Electric Racing cleanly took first place in IC with their last internal combustion vehicle. 2023 marked the first time the Pitt Shootout offered more than one event, introducing the Skidpad event.
The 2023 Pittsburgh Shootout was sponsored by ANSYS, Tronix3D, Amick and Associates, and Gecko Robotics.
Team photo by Charles Lerch
2024
The Pittsburgh Shootout will host the 8th race on September 14 2024. This year's race will feature 40 cars and 3 dynamic events: Skidpad, Autocross, and Acceleration.
As a 501(c)3 Non-Profit - 2025 and beyond
The Pittsburgh Shootout was formed for the facilitation of racing, time trial, and related events catered towards formula student teams to promote networking, collaboration, and education through their university programs. Consistent student testimony shows the participants value the event; often, this event is the most driving the students get to do with their vehicles every year. Access to facilities, track rental costs, insurance costs, and limited personnel are often cited by the students as reasons they cannot drive the cars more regularly. Using the Pittsburgh Shootout as not only a competition day but also a testing and validation experience adds educational value to the students' participation in the series.
As alumni of the series and still-active volunteers in the organizational community, the organizing staff at the Pittsburgh Shootout seeks to continue to improve the students' experience and facilitate a driving day that is safe, fun, and beneficial to their continuing education. Staff conducts inspections of the student vehicles meeting or exceeding the baselines set by the official competition series facilitated by SAE International so they are ready to race. Taking an active role in improving the students' experience allows the staff team to mentor and develop these budding engineers.
The 501c3 was formed to open new doors for funding and facilitate growth of the competition. The enrollment in the race started at 7 schools in 2016 and has grown to over 50 teams registering for a chance to compete in the 2024 race. Registration fees are collected to cover the baseline costs of track rental, insurance, and rental of facilities such as tents and power, but in an effort to keep the costs low for the student teams, sponsorship is pursued for "nice to have" items such as prizes for the fastest teams, AV, coverage of camping fees for the students, and gift certificates to racing suppliers.