“This club is for car enthusiasts of all kinds: American cars, Japanese cars, foreign cars. You should definitely stop by.”
From the thrills of roof-top car meets at night to racing supercars, events, and showcases by day, the NJIT Motorsports club is home to all car enthusiasts at NJIT.
In response to the demand for a car club at NJIT, the Motorsports Club was founded in fall 2016 by former president George Gayed and Marco Santos, who are currently Civil Engineering seniors. There was interest around campus regarding cars, and the parking deck had many impressive vehicles, so Gayed and Santos decided to gather everyone together. They posted fliers around campus and received a lot of feedback—over a hundred people signed up for the event.
Once they saw there was interest, Gayed and Santos underwent the club registration process with Student Senate at NJIT and founded the club officially. “So far, the club has been through three rounds of e-board, has grown and is going strong into its third year,” Gayed states.
Motorsports members occasionally receive special invites to car shows. “… In the past, [my job hosted] a car show, and after spreading the word about it to our entire mailing list, those who attended had the opportunity of a lifetime,” Vice President Joshua Corniel recalls. “There were hypercars from companies like McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche; a lot of BMWs. The livery company who hosted the event unveiled their designs, and people from New Jersey and across the United States came to show their super cars and it was really great to support us, support them, and actually get to see what we saw that day.”
The club hosts events and gatherings in addition to car meets, such as their cruise up Bear Mountain. NJIT Motorsports sets up joint meetings with other university clubs, such as Montclair State University Motorsports Club and Ramapo College Motorsports Club. “By interacting with these clubs, their connections and sponsors in the automobile industry, we look to apply this knowledge to grow our club to their level of garnering multiple sponsorships and greater,” e-board member Alberto Torres explains.
NJIT Motorsports looks to hold weekly meetings to bring in industry leaders, and as the club grows, colloquiums and workshop days to present technologies and advancements in the auto industry. Moreover, the club looks to collaborate with the Baja SAE Team and Solar Car, among other clubs at NJIT.
Ideas currently in the works include a joint-meet up under the Fenster Hall-Campus Center bridge, and a collaboration with the Fire Deptartment to campaign against drunk driving. The executive board (which includes Mechanical Engineering seniors Torres and Corniel) is currently planning to kick off the Spring 2019 semester with a SAC-sponsored spring opener followed by car meets, gaming nights, and showcase events.
“You don’t have to have a cool car to be a part of the club,” Torres explains. “You don’t have to have a car at all!” Gayed adds, “Not many students know there is a motorsports club on campus; some are surprised when they see e-board wearing club apparel.”
For those looking to join, the interest and enthusiasm brings this club together—not the cars themselves. Discover a community of students who showcase their tuned-up vehicles and flashy upgrades with pride. There are devoted members, and there are those who come to see what all the talk is about, or ask about certain car parts.
Whether coming out of a night class at 9:00 p.m. or on downtime away from the stresses of school, anyone can experience the thrills of a rooftop car meet.
Get in touch with the NJIT Motorsports Club through their Instagram page @njit_motorsports or the signup link on their Facebook page.
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