About Us

Formula SAE is a student competition in which students design, fabricate, and test scaled down formula-one type cars. Every year over 100 teams across the globe display the ingenuity and creativity of their cars when they are judged at the annual competition. The Formula SAE competition is a great chance for engineering students to apply their knowledge from the classroom in a hands-on project.

Every year in Detroit, over 120 teams from all over the world attend the competition to get a chance to display their engineering and design knowledge. The competition is broken up into two types of events - static and dynamic. The team with the highest total score is declared the winner, while other intermediate awards are presented.

Static

Business Presentation (7.5%) - The objective is to evaluate the team's ability
to deliver a presentation to an imaginary design firm. The car must meet the
needs of an SCCA weekend autocross racer that can be "profitably marketed
and manufactured."

Engineering Design (15%) - This event evaluates the value of engineering that
went into the design of the car as well as how well the car meets the standards imposed by the design scenario.

Cost and Manufacturing Analysis (10%) - The team must prepare a typed
budget report carefully detailing where each penny was spent. The total cost of the racecar itself (not including development expenditures) must not exceed
$25,000.

Dynamic

Acceleration (7.5%) - Evaluates the car's acceleration in a straight line on flat pavement. Each team has two runs.

Skid-Pad (5%) - Measures the car's cornering ability on a flat surface while making a constant radius turn.

Autocross (15%) - The objective of the autocross is to evaluate the car's handling qualities on a tight course with no other cars competing. Two autocross heats are run, with each heat having a different driver. The single best lap from each heat is recorded.

Endurance/Fuel Economy (40%) - This 22-kilometer (13.6-mile) race is the hardest event in which to succeed, as every aspect of the car and driver abilities are tested. There is a mandatory driver change halfway through the race. Additionally, fuel economy is calculated and compared to each of the other cars. It's in this part of the competition that most DNF's (Did Not Finish) occur.