Springfield High School alum Owen Sherbinko was behind the wheel and the chief engineer behind a Formula electric car that took first place this month at the Michigan SAE Formula electric car race, writes Pete Bannan for the Daily Times.

The racecar was built from scratch by more than 50 students from the Rochester Institute of Technology.  Sherbinko, 23, graduated from RIT in May. 

The car reached top speeds of 70 mph and competed with 78 international teams from the United States, Singapore, Brazil and Canada.

“It was a truly surreal feeling,” Sherbinko said of the victory, crediting the dedicated students committed to the project.  “To be the first team in our 32-year history to get first place in Michigan was incredibly special.”

Sherbinko spent 80 to 90 hours a week on the project, while taking a full load of classes.

The RIT team beat Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal by less than 3 points for the overall title.

It took years to build the racecar, with parts made in-house and tested by the students.

RIT transitioned from the internal combustion engine category to all-electric car in 2018 and placed fourth overall that year.

Read more about Owen Sherbinko and his team’s electric racecar win in the Daily Times.