Gainesville, FL, June 15, 2026 - MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions, a leading manufacturer of chemical compounds utilized in surface finishing applications, announced the expansion of its sponsorship and technical partnership with the University of Florida’s Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) team, Gator Motorsports. This renewed commitment follows a highly successful 2025 season where the collaboration drove significant performance gains at the FSAE Design Competition.
Gator Motorsports, a student-run organization that designs, builds, and races Formula-style cars, made the strategic transition from internal combustion to electric power in 2023. After facing initial engineering hurdles, the team partnered with MacDermid Enthone to optimize the vehicle’s high-voltage power transport system. The partnership yielded immediate results at the 2025 FSAE Electric competition in Michigan, where the team climbed 10 positions to finish 25th overall out of 88 international teams.
"We are incredibly excited to be moving into our second year with MacDermid Enthone,: says Nicole Valdes, President of Gator Motorsports. “Building on last year’s momentum, our second year really comes down to precision. We are focused on fine-tuning the integration of our critical busbar components to maximize efficiency. Having direct access to their technical team allowed us to bypass the trial and error phase and move straight into high-level optimization, making us more and more ready to compete."
For the 2025/2026 season, MacDermid Enthone will continue to supply its industry-leading low phosphorus electroless nickel plating for the vehicle’s critical busbar components. Additionally, Ambrose Schaffer, Product Manager, Wear Resistant Coatings at MacDermid Enthone, will continue to provide the students with hands-on technical support and education. By integrating industry experts directly into the design process, this mentorship allows the next generation of engineers to master how innovative surface finishing can solve the complex conductivity and thermal challenges of the rapidly evolving EV sector.
“We believe that putting down roots in the engineering community means investing our time in the people who will lead the next generation of automotive innovation,” said Ambrose Schaffer, Product Manager, Wear Resistant Coatings at MacDermid Enthone. “It has been incredibly rewarding to watch this team solve the complex power transport challenges over the past two years, and we are proud to support their journey and are wishing them well for race day.
To learn more about Gator Motorsports, visit www.gatormotorsports.org
