The KOOKMIN RACING (hereinafter “KORA”) team, a student-built car club at Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul), participated in the “2026 College Student Self-Built Car Competition FORMULA STUDENT KOREA 2026” (hereinafter FSK 2026), held from Thursday, August 27, to Sunday, August 30, at the Vehicle-Driver Safety Research Center of the Korea Automotive Research Institute, and achieved the remarkable feat of winning the overall championship in the Formula division for the 10th consecutive year.

The FSK 2026 competition has been held annually since 2007 with the aim of enabling college students to acquire practical skills through the design and construction of automobiles and to cultivate future experts in the automotive industry. This year’s competition saw approximately 1,800 engineering students from 43 universities nationwide engage in fierce technical competition with Formula race cars they designed and built themselves. Judges evaluated the vehicles’ dynamic performance—including straight-line stability, cornering ability, and durability—as well as the teams’ understanding of vehicle mechanics and the completeness of their designs. Kookmin University fielded two teams: “KOOKMIN RACING F-26” and “KOOKMIN RACING KEF-26.”

The KEF-26 team won the KSAE Grand Prix Formula (Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award) by leveraging high dynamic performance achieved through data-driven setup optimization. Additionally, the F-26 team—which had previously demonstrated its high technical prowess by participating in the 2026 Formula SAE Electric World Championship hosted by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in the U.S. last June—secured the gold medal in the E-Formula category by ensuring overall vehicle stability through harmonious integration of vehicle systems.

With the KEF-26 team’s overall victory at this year’s FSK 2026 competition, KORA set a remarkable record of winning the championship for the 10th consecutive year. Despite inclement weather, the team achieved top rankings in all dynamic events and completed the endurance race with the fastest lap time, demonstrating the vehicle’s overwhelming level of refinement. The two E-Formula vehicles swept first and second place, and the team received recognition for outstanding achievements across all areas of vehicle development by sweeping awards such as Best Acceleration, Best Skid Pad, and Best Design Report.

Jo Hyun-sung (Class of ’21, Department of Automotive Engineering), who participated in the competition, shared his thoughts: “Preparing for both the world championship and the domestic competition placed a lot of pressure on us, but thanks to the support of President Jeong Seung Ryul, Dean Shin Sung-Hwan of the College of Automotive Mobility, many professors and staff members, sponsoring companies, and my club peers—both seniors and juniors—we were able to successfully conclude the competition.” He added, “I am proud to have elevated Kookmin University’s standing by securing the overall championship for the 10th consecutive year.” Dean Shin Sung-Hwan of the College of Automotive Mobility, who serves as the KORA faculty advisor, stated, “Winning the overall championship for 10 consecutive years is the result of the KORA students’ hard work and the continuous interest and support from the university community.” He added, “We will continue to provide unstinting support to cultivate talent that will lead the future of the automotive industry.”

Meanwhile, Kookmin University, celebrating its 80th anniversary, is preparing for a new leap toward the next 100 years under the vision of “A University Setting the Standard for Higher Education” and the slogan “Make the Rule, Break the Rule.” To this end, the university has established “KMU VISION 2035: EDGE,” its mid- to long-term development strategy, and selected eight specialized fields to intensively strengthen the university’s competitiveness.

Kookmin University’s College of Automotive Mobility plans to focus on “Mobility”—one of the eight specialized fields—to cultivate talent equipped with practical skills and convergent thinking to lead the future mobility industry.