California is home to some of the best STEM programs in the country, and one of them is quietly building race cars in a driveway in Pleasanton.
I first learned about this team when I was introduced to Aman Deshmukh and his father at a recent Grand Opening event at Porsche of Livermore. He told me his team was the only high school team to qualify for an upcoming Shell Eco-marathon competition. I was intrigued and impressed, so I reached out to Bay Area Racing directly with several questions.
Bay Area Racing, the student engineering team representing Foothill High School, competed this year in the Shell Eco-marathon Americas at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This is not a casual science fair project. Teams from across the country, high schools and universities alike, design and build ultra-efficient vehicles from scratch and compete head to head on a closed track, judged purely on energy efficiency. Bay Area Racing finished 8th overall, a genuinely strong result in a field that included well-funded university programs and specialized STEM academies from across the nation. The team is now preparing for the 2026 to 2027 season, with registration for the next event opening later this year.
Aman is this year's aerospace lead, responsible for optimizing the vehicle's chassis design for aerodynamics, a role that requires real engineering judgment, not just enthusiasm. It is the kind of hands on, high stakes learning experience that classroom instruction alone cannot replicate.
Tri-Valley residents will have a chance to meet the team in person. Bay Area Racing will be at Porsches on Main in downtown Pleasanton on Sunday, October 4, 2026, helping Pleasanton’s Mayor, Jack Balch select the Mayor's Award. If you attend, take a moment to talk with these students about what they are building and why.
Programs like this are exactly what make the Tri-Valley such a strong place to raise a family. Local schools are producing students who compete, and win recognition, on a national stage in serious technical fields. That is not something every community can say.
The team mentioned they welcome technical mentorship, local sponsorships, and access to machining and fabrication tools as they prepare for next season. If you or someone in your network works in engineering, manufacturing, or a related field and wants to support local students doing real work, I would be glad to make an introduction.
If this story resonated with you, I would love to hear from you in the comments. And if you know a Tri-Valley student or program doing something worth celebrating, send it my way. These are the stories I love to tell.
Patty Recupero
REALTOR® | Elation Real Estate | CA DRE 02112275