A self-taught car mechanic and aspiring engineer, having a motorsports team was near the top of Nick Gauer's list of must-haves when it came to college. Through Husker Motorsports, which designs, builds and races cars each year, the senior is finding himself closer than ever to achieving his post-grad dreams of entering the professional world of motorsports.
“There's not a single class I've taken in college where I'm like, ‘I have no idea how I can apply this in some way,’” Gauer said. “Every single class teaches me something that I can apply directly to working on our cars and figuring out how to make them faster and better.”
The current project manager for Husker Motorsports and former technical director, Gauer’s leadership roles on the team are a culmination of his four-year involvement and enthusiasm for getting experience in every aspect.
“I’ve gotten a ton of experience working on things like manufacturing, working with CNC (Computer Numerical Control) equipment, welding, painting and things like that,” Gauer said. “As project manager, I’ve gotten to learn a lot more about the business side, doing things like communicating with sponsors and setting deadlines for the team.”
All this is in service of the group’s main goal: designing, constructing and racing a formula car at an annual nationwide competition. Gauer and teammates just returned from Toronto, Canada, where they worked alongside professional sponsors to test and get feedback on their designs before moving to the manufacturing stage.
At their sponsor’s headquarters, Gauer and his teammates used the company’s advanced software and professional input to improve their vehicle designs.
“It was an amazing learning opportunity,” Gauer said. “We wanted to validate what we simulated for our 2024 car so we know what we can improve on for 2025. We learned that our suspension simulations nearly correct, so it’s nice to be on the right track.”
Looking ahead to their competition in May, Gauer is excited to see the results of all these tests, simulations and revisions applied to a fully realized car. And, of course, giving the car a test drive.
“Seeing these designs that we've made on the computer come to life is incredible,” Gauer said. “Hearing that engine start for the first time and getting behind the wheel is a pretty special feeling.”
