What began as a desire to break away from Nepal’s decade-old go-kart culture has grown into an ambitious motorsport project. Team Gorkhali, a group of enthusiastic students from Pulchowk Engineering Campus in Kathmandu, is preparing to put Nepal on the Formula Student map with a locally designed and built combustion-engine race car at Formula Bharat 2027.
And the question is: How much have mechanical engineering student projects in Nepal evolved over the past decade? The answer, unfortunately, is: not much at all.
A decade ago, the most fascinating part of being a mechanical engineering student was building go-karts on campus, and somehow, we are still stuck in the same place. Year after year, Pulchowk Engineering Campus organizes go-kart racing under the Mechtrix event organized by the Society of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Students (SOMAES), and that race is the pinnacle of engineering for all campuses across the country.
After all these years, it has gotten quite repetitive. The same techniques, scrounging for scraps to build the chassis, discarded tyres, and makeshift fuel tanks. A vehicle held together by hopes and dreams. The scenario is quite literally begging for change.
For Nepal. From Nepal. This is bigger than a race car. It’s a statement that Nepali engineers can design, build, and compete with the best in the world.
This need for something different is how TEAM GORKHALI was born. A team established by the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering students of Pulchowk Campus, with a clear goal in mind: FORMULA BHARAT 2027.
So, what exactly is it?
Formula Student is an international engineering competition where university students design, build, test, and race small-scale, formula-style single-seater race cars. Teams are judged on vehicle performance, engineering design, financial cost planning, and business presentation. Formula Bharat is the South Asian version of that competition.
Basically, engineering students design and build a race car from scratch and compete to see who did it best.
Established on the 26th of June, 2026, the Automotive Club, Pulchowk Campus is the governing committee that oversees all ongoing automotive projects on campus. Our first project? Formula Bharat. We aim to do what no one else in this country has ever done: build a combustion-engine Formula-style race car and compete internationally.
In order to be recognized as a registered team for the event, all teams were required to partake in a qualifying quiz held by the FB2027 organizing team. We qualified #C29 out of 40 teams that passed. We are the first Nepali team ever to enter the Internal Combustion category at Formula Bharat. There is no second ‘first.’ This moment only happens once, and it’s happening right now.
We are doing this because we want to inspire. Somewhere in Nepal right now, there’s a kid watching Formula 1 races, dreaming about a future in motorsport engineering, and they don’t know yet that that future exists here, at home, at Pulchowk Campus. Every bolt we tighten on this car tells that kid: yes, it’s possible, and that they’re not dreaming too big.
And because we get to represent. Not just IOE. Not just Pulchowk Campus. When our car rolls onto that track, it carries our name, our engineering, and our flag. We represent NEPAL. For Nepal. From Nepal. This is bigger than a race car. It’s a statement that Nepali engineers can design, build, and compete with the best in the world.
Right now, we are actively searching for support. A project this big requires a large amount of money, and as we are a student team, we cannot entirely fund this ourselves. Whether it’s funding, mentorship, materials, or simply spreading the word, every form of support moves us closer to that grid.
We’re Team Gorkhali, out of IOE, Pulchowk Campus. We’ve done the design work. We’ve secured our qualification. We’ve got the team, the mentors, and the drive. What we need now is you to help us cross that final gap between where we are and that starting line in 2027.
Let’s Outrun the Ordinary together!
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