UNS — The Bengawan Team from Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta successfully won third place in the Prototype Internal Combustion Engine category at the Shell Eco-Marathon Qatar 2026. The competition was held from 21–25 January at the Lusail International Circuit and was attended by 96 teams from various countries across Asia Pacific and the Middle East.
Bengawan Team UNS once again competed in the Prototype Internal Combustion Engine class, the same category they had joined in previous years. Last year, the team also won third place in the competition held at the same circuit in Doha, Qatar.
This year, the competition took place again at the same venue, with additional challenges such as cold weather conditions and strong winds during the race. Despite facing various obstacles and technical problems during the competition, Bengawan Team managed to overcome them well.
Until the end of the race, the team successfully completed the competition and once again finished in third place. This outstanding achievement is clear proof of the team’s dedication, innovation, and engineering excellence.
The competition was highly competitive, with Team Semeru from Universitas Negeri Malang and Team Antarwirya from Universitas Diponegoro taking first and second place respectively. However, Bengawan Team UNS secured third place, showing strong skills and strategy, while also identifying several areas for future improvement.
Shell Eco-Marathon is a prestigious global competition that challenges university students to design, build, and drive the most energy-efficient vehicles. The competition at Lusail International Circuit brought together many talented teams, making it an important platform to showcase advancements in fuel efficiency and automotive technology.
The success of Bengawan Team UNS reflects their hard work and determination. Their innovative approach and technical expertise have set a strong standard in this competition and inspired future teams to continue pushing the boundaries of energy-efficient vehicle design.
The General Manager of Bengawan Team UNS, Dimas Aji Persada, expressed his pride in the team. “We are very proud of our team’s achievement, and we will continue to give our best in future events,” he said.
The final round of Shell Eco-Marathon Asia Pacific and Middle East 2026 involved more than 1,000 participants from 16 countries across Asia and the Middle East, including Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. “Alhamdulillah, Bengawan Team managed to achieve third place among such strong competitors and proved that our team’s innovation and hard work deserve recognition,” explained Dimas, a Mechanical Engineering student at UNS, on Friday (30/1/2026).
Iqbal Haris Nurudin, Vice Manager of Bengawan Team, also added that they were very grateful to all parties who had supported the team in achieving the best results and hoped this consistency would continue in the future as part of students’ efforts to protect the environment by reducing global warming potential.
“We, Bengawan Team, would like to thank our sponsors and especially the university (UNS) for the moral and material support that became the pillar of our success this year, as well as the motivation to continue our research in the coming years. This year’s event will be our evaluation for becoming even better in the future,” he added.
In this competition, Bengawan Team was guided by Dharu Feby Smaradhana, S.T., M.Sc.; Dr. Ir. Rendy Adhi Rachmanto, S.T., M.T.; and Prof. Dr. Eng. Syamsul Hadi, M.T.
HUMAS UNS
