Gear-shift execution is critical to power delivery, vehicle acceleration, and
driver workload in Formula Student racing vehicles. Conventional shifting
solutions for sequential gearboxes are often limited by driver-dependent
operation, insufficient actuator authority, incomplete torque coordination, or
the absence of closed-loop gear-state confirmation. This study develops and
validates a clutchless electro-pneumatic gear-shifting system for a
CF700-powered Formula Student vehicle equipped with an integrated sequential
dog-engagement gearbox. The system is treated as a shift-assist form of
automated manual transmission, in which the driver retains gear-selection
authority while shift actuation and engine torque coordination are performed
electronically. Although pneumatic shifting systems are already established in
motorsport applications, the present work focuses on their vehicle-specific
integration through measured shift-load characterization, geometry-based
actuator design, gear-position-based closed-loop control, and
electronic-throttle-assisted torque intervention. Vehicle tests were conducted
under straight-line acceleration, high-speed obstacle-avoidance, and
endurance-oriented training conditions. Across 76 recorded shift events, no
failed gear transition or missed target-gear confirmation was observed. In
straight-line acceleration tests, the mean target-gear confirmation time for
recorded upshifts was 96 ± 5 ms, and the representative gear-position transition
interval was approximately 20 ms. The full Engine Control Unit (ECU)-controlled
upshift event was 0.50 ± 0.10 s because it included the calibrated low-torque
dwell and torque-recovery phase, and should therefore be interpreted as a
control-event window rather than the mechanical shift duration. After
powertrain-specific actuation and torque-control calibration, the developed
system provides an implementation basis for similar electronically controlled
sequential-gearbox racing platforms, with potential to reduce shift time and
driver workload and to support improved autocross drivability and
performance.