Formula SAE Series competitions challenge teams of university students to conceive, design, fabricate, develop and compete with small, formula style vehicles.

Every car must follow the rules laid out by SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). The intention of the rules is the keep the cars safe and competitive, but leave a very wide range of solutions open to student designers.

At competition, about 65% of the points come from dynamic events (Acceleration, Skidpad, Autocross, Endurance, and Efficiency), while the remaining points come from static events (Engineering Design, Cost Analysis, Business Presentation). The competition is designed to reward cars that finish all events, but a team cannot be in the top tiers of the competition without a strong static performance - you need more than just a fast car to win.

The team describing their design to judges at Formula North 2018

COMPETITION POINTS DISTRIBUTION (/1000)

Static Events

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Engineering Design

The design event is a showcase of the team’s knowledge and design capability. Industry professionals evaluate the team members on their understanding of concepts and their ability to make and justify design decisions.

Cost Report

The Cost Report consists of a presentation of the team’s Cost Report. This report documents the manufacture and assembly of every part on the car and is marked for its accuracy. As well, the overall manufacturability of the car is assessed and discussed.

Business Presentation

FSAE provides teams with a business scenario. Judges evaluate the team’s ability to develop and deliver a comprehensive and effective business case.

Efficiency

The car’s fuel efficiency is calculated based on the amount of fuel consumed and the lap times of the endurance course, averaged over 22 km (length of endurance event).

Dynamic Events

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Autocross

The Autocross event is a time trial held on a tight, twisting 1km long course. Speeds average 45km/ h with tracks featuring hairpins, slaloms and sweeping turns. Autocross tests the transient handling capability of the car.

Acceleration

The Acceleration event evaluates the vehicle acceleration in a straight line on flat pavement over 75m.

Skidpad

Skidpad is a test of steady state cornering ability. Cars are sent onto the track one at a time, each doing 4 laps of a 15m circle. Starting with 2 clockwise laps, the driver transitions to do 2 counter clockwise laps.

Endurance

Endurance is a 22km event that tests vehicle build quality as much as it tests outright performance. Tracks for Endurance are like Autocross tracks and have similar features, with the key difference being that each driver completes 10 laps.