Formula SAE Collegiate Design Series

Each year, over 120 teams from all over the world, travel to Michigan International Speedway and compete in a four-day long engineering competition. Each student team designs, builds, and tunes a formula race car based on a series of rules whose purpose is to ensure engineering safety and promote clever problem solving. Teams compete and earn points in two types of events: static and dynamic. The team with the highest combined score is declared the winner.

For more information on the FSAE Competition go to:

http://students.sae.org/competitions/formulaseries/

Static Events

  • Business Presentation: Evaluates the team’s ability to develop and deliver a comprehensive business plan. The car must be profitably manufactured, marketed, and meet the demands of the racing market.

 

  • Engineering Design: Judges the effort that went into the design of the car. The car that illustrates the best use of engineering to meet the design goals will win the design event.

 

  • Cost Analysis: Cost and budget are significant factors that must be considered. Teams must make decisions between cost and benefit. Teams will create and maintain a Bill of Material.

Dynamic Events

  • Acceleration: Cars will accelerate over a distance of 75m on a flat surface.

 

  • Skid Pad: Measures the car’s cornering ability while making a constant-radius turn. Drivers will be required to make laps around a small figure 8 course.

 

  • Autocross: Evaluates the car’s maneuverability and handling qualities on a tight course without the hindrance of competing cars. The autocross course will combine the performance features of acceleration, braking, and cornering into one event.

 

  • Endurance/Fuel Economy: Tests the overall performance of the car and the car’s reliability. The car must drive 22km with mandatory driver change. The fuel consumption is measured.