Topdon USA will sponsor the University of Toronto Formula Racing (UTFR) SAE team. Through a donation of cash and key diagnostic tools, Topdon is supporting the 2023-2024 academic team’s development of a fully electric and autonomous driving Formula student racecar to compete in the 2024 Formula SAE season.

“The Topdon team understands the importance of educating the next generation of auto engineers across North America,” Chad Schnitz, VP of Topdon USA said. “From design and manufacture to testing, racing and troubleshooting, the SAE Formula program is an opportunity for students to experience the full lifecycle of a vehicle build.”

As a gold sponsor of University of Toronto Formula Racing Team, Topdon contributed cash, as well as two TC003 handheld thermal cameras and a Hurricano200 portable lithium power station. A recent product introduction, the TC003 thermal camera delivers imaging, temperature sensitivity and the ability to link to an endoscope for more specialized thermal work, Topdon said. The copmant tells us the Hurricano200 is designed for powering up to seven low-level electronic devices simultaneously with a stable 200W pure sinewave supply.

The UFTR team is structured into four operating departments including electrical, mechanical, driverless (DV) development and business. More than 70 members are actively involved with the school’s team. In 2024 UTFR will compete at the Formula Hybrid + Electric competition at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway from April 29-May 2. The next competition is Formula SAE Electric from June 12-15 at the Michigan International Speedway. The team will also compete in Europe at Formula Student Czech Republic, Aug. 5-10, at the Autodrom Most.

“Our team had the opportunity to meet the Topdon team during the special unveiling of our newest racecar UT24, in March,” Daniel LaRosa, UTFR team principal and mechanical technical director said. “We were excited to share how Topdon’s thermal imaging cameras helped us maximize tire performance by understanding how each tire was affected by heat and air pressure. The thermal cameras were also instrumental in the development of our EV racecars to track and monitor critical battery temperatures. This allowed us to identify hotspots and uneven temperature distribution that could compromise the performance and life of our batteries.”

Formula SAE is an engineering education competition that requires performance demonstration of vehicles in a series of events, both off-track and on-track against the click. The SAE International’s Collegiate Design Series (CDS) programs were created to prepare undergraduate and graduate engineering students in a variety of disciplines for future employment in mobility-related industries by challenging them with a real-world, engineering application.

To date, Topdon has donated over $80,000 to aid organizations and schools, which it said are dedicated to preparing the next generation of auto technicians around the world.