For us, the 2026 STEM Racing season began with a clear goal: to build on last year’s success and go one step further. The Regional Championship marked the first major milestone on this path.
Months of preparation, countless hours of work, team meetings across time zones and a clearly structured plan laid the foundation for our start to the season. After all, STEM Racing is about far more than just a fast car. It demands a perfectly balanced overall package of engineering, team organization, marketing and presentation.
Like every professional racing team, we started by designing our car on the computer. Using CAD software, we developed a design that was consistently focused on aerodynamics and efficiency. Our goal: maximum speed on the 20-meter race track. After numerous iterations and optimizations, our car was manufactured and tested. Every tiny flaw was analyzed, and every improvement was consistently implemented. At the same time, we worked flat out on our team stand, our portfolios and our presentation for the judges. All of these areas count towards the overall score and are crucial for success in the competition.
At last, on February 28, the day had come: the Regional Championship. We traveled to Heinsberg the day before for test runs, the technical inspection and setting up our team stand. Everywhere, teams were focused on their final preparations, and the excitement grew: who would become state champion this year and qualify for the German National Championship? It was a special moment to see months of work come together into a coherent whole.
Then things got serious. On competition day, we started by presenting our team stand. In the interviews with the judges, we presented our technical decisions, our team structure and our entire project. Afterwards, we headed straight to our presentation, and at 10:20 it was time for the next big moment: the race runs. Every run counts, and in the end the best time decides. We lined up at the start with full concentration. Our car delivered a strong performance and confirmed the intensive development work of the past months.
With the fastest time in the qualifying runs, we went into the knockout race full of confidence and managed to win it.
The award ceremony at the end was especially thrilling. Team after team was called up, and ours still hadn’t been named, so the suspense lasted right until the very end. When we were announced as North Rhine-Westphalia State Champion, we could hardly believe it. On top of that, we received several special awards: Best Engineered Car, Fastest Car (1.172 s), Engineering Portfolio and Enterprise Portfolio.
The Regional Championship was an important step on our journey. With new experiences, even more motivation and a stronger team spirit, we are now looking ahead to the German National Championship, which will take place on May 23 at the Audi Experience Center in Neuburg an der Donau. We are really looking forward to returning to the place where we successfully ended our season last year.
At this point, we would like to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU. A project like this is only possible with the right support. Our thanks go to:
- our sponsors, who make this project possible in the first place
- our supervising teachers for their tireless commitment
- and all the helpers behind the scenes
THANK YOU, THANK YOU
Your Team aiXplosion