WHZ Racing Team

What WHZ Racing Team does

WHZ Racing Team is a Formula Student competition team based at Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau (WHZ) in Zwickau, Germany, founded in 2006. The organization is composed of students from WHZ who design, manufacture, and race electric vehicles for international Formula Student events held across Europe, including in Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. The team has produced 19 documented vehicle generations, transitioning from combustion engines (2007–2010) to electric powertrains (2011–present), with the current car FP18.26e "erhard" featuring a sub-17 kg carbon monocoque chassis, 80 kW all-wheel drive via Fischer hub motors, CFD-optimized aerodynamics with DRS, 600V high-voltage architecture, and self-developed inverter, PCB, BMS, AMS, ABS, traction control, and torque vectoring systems.

The business model is non-commercial. WHZ Racing Team does not sell products or services and operates as a sponsored student project under the institutional umbrella of the parent university. Revenue mechanics consist of tiered corporate sponsorships — Hauptsponsor, Lithium, Platin, Gold, Silber, Bronze, Unterstützer, and Kooperationspartner — combining cash and Sachspenden (in-kind donations such as carbon fiber, manufacturing tooling, and engineering software). Volkswagen Sachsen serves as the named main sponsor, with Porsche Werkzeugbau, Carbon Werke, and IAMT as additional Lithium-tier technology partners. Sponsors receive logo placement, talent-pipeline access, event presence, and R&D collaboration in exchange.

The team's primary customers are its own student members, for whom it provides hands-on automotive engineering experience bridging academic theory and industrial practice; its secondary commercial counterparties are corporate sponsors, particularly regional automotive and manufacturing firms. In 2025 the team achieved 1st place overall at Formula Student ATA Italy with 948.42 out of 1000 points, winning the Skid Pad, Autocross, and Endurance disciplines, validating the technical depth of the program. The organization has no independent legal status separate from WHZ and is led by an Organizational Director (Loris Büttner) and a Mechanical Director (Martin Köhler).

Name

WHZ Racing Team

Legal name

WHZ Racing Team

Website

https://whz-racingteam.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WHZ Racing Team is a student Formula Student racing team at Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau that designs, builds, and races electric vehicles in international European competitions, funded by tiered corporate sponsorships anchored by Volkswagen Sachsen.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Formula Student / Electric Motorsport Engineering

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Racing, Including Track Operation (7948)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAKAGAB

Motorsports Teams & Entrants (Factory & Independent)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Motorsports Series, Teams & Promoters

SECONDARYMPAGAMAD

Motorsports Events (F1, NASCAR, Rally, Moto)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Live Sports Events

SECONDARYMPAKABAB

Motorsports Teams (F1, NASCAR, IndyCar, Rally, MotoGP, etc.)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Professional Sports Teams & Clubs

Keywords

• Formula Student team
• Electric race car development
• Student motorsport engineering
• Carbon fiber monocoque chassis
• Electric powertrain engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Zwickau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship Revenue: Receives financial support, Sachspenden (in-kind donations), and manufacturing capabilities from corporate sponsors at various tiers (Hauptsponsor, Lithium, Platin, Gold, Silber, Bronze)
2. Sponsor Benefits: Sponsors receive access to qualified young talent, logo placement on racing car and team clothing, presence at regional, national and international trade shows and events

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WHZ Racing Team designs, builds and races fully electric Formula Student race cars as a student engineering project of Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau. Each season the team produces a new electric single-seat race car with advanced carbon fiber monocoque, all-wheel-drive electric powertrain and CFD-optimized aerodynamics, then competes against universities across Europe. The team's primary "offering" to its corporate sponsors is access to engineering talent, logo placement on car and team apparel, and presence at regional, national and international trade shows.

Product overview

WHZ Racing Team is a Formula Student racing team at Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau that designs and builds competitive electric racing cars for international Formula Student competitions. The company operates a portfolio of racing car products spanning 19 generations from FP107 (2007) to the current FP18.26e, with each annual generation representing a new electric Formula Student car featuring advanced technologies including carbon monocoque chassis, hub motors, torque vectoring, and regenerative braking systems. The product line transitioned from combustion engines (2007-2010) to electric powertrains (2011-present), with current vehicles featuring all-wheel drive, 600V systems, and CFD-optimized aerodynamics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Sponsorship Packages

Quantifiable outcome

• 1st Place Overall at Formula Student Italy 2025 with 948.42/1000 points - winning Skid Pad, Autocross, and Endurance
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, important and supporting.

• Volkswagen SachsencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain sponsor (Hauptsponsor) providing financial support, vehicle logistics (T5 buses), and access to Volkswagen Group resources. Core strategic partner enabling team participation in competitions.
• Westsächsische Hochschule ZwickaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome university providing the student team members, facilities, and organizational infrastructure. The team is composed entirely of students from this institution.
• Carbon WerkeimportantTechnology or IntegrationLithium sponsor providing carbon fiber materials and expertise for vehicle construction. Contributes to lightweighting and structural components.
• Porsche WerkzeugbauimportantTechnology or IntegrationLithium sponsor providing manufacturing capabilities and tooling expertise. Award sponsor recognizing innovation in performance engineering.
• IAMT EngineeringimportantTechnology or IntegrationLithium sponsor contributing engineering expertise and technical support for vehicle development.
• FES (Platin Sponsor)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatin tier sponsor providing financial support for team operations and competition participation.
• Mueller Praezision (Platin Sponsor)supportingTechnology or IntegrationPlatin tier precision manufacturing partner supporting component production.
• Vector (Gold Sponsor)supportingTechnology or IntegrationGold sponsor providing development tools and engineering software expertise.
• Volkswagen-Bildung und Integration (VW-BI)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerKooperationspartner providing educational and integration support for student development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• MUNI Racing: Masaryk University Brno's Formula Student team competing in the same FS Czech event WHZ participates in. Comparable as a Central European electric FS team, though based in Czech Republic rather than Germany.

Direct peers

• UPBracing Team: University of Paderborn's Formula Student team, German-based and competing in the same FS Germany and FS Europe events as WHZ. Direct peer in size, electric category focus, and German automotive OEM sponsorship landscape.
• AMZ Racing Team: ETH Zurich's Formula Student electric racing team, multiple-time world champion and one of the most decorated FS teams globally. Directly comparable as a European university-based electric FS team competing in the same events and serving similar OEM sponsor networks (including Porsche).
• KA-Racing: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology's Formula Student team, German-based competitor in the European FS electric circuit. Comparable as a technical university FS team with similar powertrain engineering focus and automotive industry sponsor relationships.
• TUfast Racing Team: Technical University of Munich's Formula Student team, consistently competitive in the European FS circuit including driverless and electric categories. Direct peer in geographic region (Germany), competition format, and sponsor ecosystem overlap (BMW, Audi, premium automotive suppliers).
• Global Formula Racing: Joint team of Oregon State University and Virginia Tech, a top US Formula Student team competing in both US and European FS events with electric powertrains. Comparable in scale, technical ambition, and competition-level performance to top European FS teams like WHZ.
• High Speed Team Stuttgart: University of Stuttgart's Formula Student racing team, German-based and competing in FS Germany and European events. Comparable as a German university FS team with electric and combustion entries targeting similar OEM sponsor pools (Porsche, Bosch, Daimler).
• Delft Formula Student (DELF): TU Delft's long-running Formula Student team competing across electric and driverless disciplines at international events. Highly comparable as a leading European technical university FS team with similar OEM sponsor structure and electric powertrain focus.
• Stark Racing (TU Darmstadt): Technical University of Darmstadt's Formula Student team, German-based competitor across European FS events. Comparable as a German technical university FS team of similar scale focused on electric powertrain and lightweight chassis development.
• HR Motorsport: Hamburg University of Technology's Formula Student team competing in German and European FS events with electric vehicles. Direct peer in German university motorsport, similar scale and sponsor-tier structure to WHZ.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.de/whzracingteam
• Facebookde-de.facebook.com/pages/WHZ-Racing-Team/156120564430300
• Instagraminstagram.com/whzracingteam_fse/?hl=de
• Xx.com/whzracingteam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/whz-racing-team

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WHZ Racing Team