Wrapping to Win

There’s no such thing as too flashy on the racetrack. In order to compete in the Formula SAE Series, impressive design has to exist in the mechanics and in the aesthetic. Organized by SAE International, Formula SAE is a student design competition in which teams of college students design, build, and test a small Formula-style race car.

The University of Michigan has participated in this competition for several years, taking fifth place in Michigan’s 2012 race, and ninth in Germany in 2013. It’s up to students to build the car, but they need assistance when it comes to wrapping the vehicle.

Horvath Design (www.horvathdesign.com) has collaborated with MRacing, Michigan’s design team, for several years. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Horvath worked with MRacing to create a wrap for the car. The design was dark, with eye-catching pops of color, as well as subtle checkering and prominent display of sponsors.

“The team supplied me their idea of what they would like the car to look like and gave me free range to add or take away from it,” says Tim Horvath, owner of Horvath Design. “In years past, we have had 3D renderings sent over email to give me an idea of what they were looking for.”

After five days of design work, the graphics were printed on 3M Wrap Film Series 1080 using Horvath’s Roland GX-300 Pro vinyl cutter.

Installation was completed by company staff in Horvath’s home office by one installer in two hours, compared to three installers and eight hours that were needed in 2013.

“Every piece of this car is different. There are no models of it; the vehicle itself is a one-of-a-kind, custom-built ride,” Horvath says. “Everything has to be perfect; if anything is off, just by a touch, we start over.”