The Heat of Competition
Formula SAE is a collegiate engineering design competition hosted annually by the Society of Automotive Engineers. Formula SAE seeks to improve the management, design, and problem-solving skills of engineering and business students as they collaborate to build a miniature Formula One-style open-wheel race car.
“The Formula SAE program is an engineering design competition for undergraduate and graduate students. The competition provides participants with the opportunity to enhance their engineering design and project management skills by applying learned classroom theories in a challenging competition. The engineering design goal for teams is to develop and construct a single-seat race car for the non-professional weekend autocross racer with the best overall package of design, construction, performance, and cost.”
- Formula SAE website
Formula SAE competitions are multi-day affairs consisting of several events. These events include technical inspections, skid-pad testing, and endurance and autocross racing. Additionally, SAE judges interview team representatives in order to evaluate the team's approach to the engineering design process and their overall abilities as a group.