ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) – The need for speed was so high, the RIT Racing team produced a champion, winning the Michigan SAE Formula electric competition.

It was a long grind to get to that point, and finding out they won also felt like hours.

“They started with the top 10, they went 10,9,8,7 and all the way down,” said junior Hunter Trifaro. “They finally announced Rochester Institute of Technology. The whole team goes crazy. Everybody launches out of their chairs, screaming yelling.”

“It’s the loudest we’ve ever yelled in recent memory. It’s the quickest we’ve ever lost our voices,” said recent RIT graduate Owen Sherbinko.

All that cheering is well deserved – the student run organization took home top 10 finishes in four categories, with a second place finish in the endurance part of the competition. But the road to get there was bumpy.

“People were worried about how this car might place, how it might do, because a couple days before and weeks before we had a few issues with it, so we didn’t know,” said Sherbinko.

Obviously those issues got worked out – put the entire process in building these fast cars was like a marathon. Along with being a full time student, Sherbinko said he worked 70 to 80 hours a WEEK.

“If there’s a work-life balance, there is none. It’s only working on this car and it’s a passion project for everyone. We want to build the best and fastest and best looking car there, and that’s what we did,” said Sherbinko.

Sherbinko’s off to find his first job out of college, but the RIT Formula team will live on. Next year, they want to transition from rear-wheel to four-wheel drive, and Trifaro is on the hunt for another trophy.

“We got the momentum now from the win in Michigan and we’re just gonna keep pushing and design the best thing we can possibly design,” said Trifaro.

The Formula for RIT Racing is all about winning.