Fueling the Future: How FSAE Shapes the Next Generation of Motorsports

Innovation, adaptation, and hands-on experience are keys to a successful career in the motorsports industry. But how can one achieve these traits? For university students with goals of shaping the future of racing, the journey starts with Formula SAE (FSAE) also known as Formula Student around the world. This collegiate motorsport competition doesn’t just focus on building fast cars, it’s a rigorous test of engineering, teamwork, and strategy. It provides the foundation for engineers, marketers, and business strategists to refine their skills and develop high-performance vehicles that could influence the next generation of motorsports. 

Each year thousands of students drive towards FSAE from around the world to push the boundaries of performance, from crafting aerodynamics and powertrains to sourcing funding through sponsorships. FSAE teams must master every element of a race car in order to succeed. They aren’t just chasing trophies and titles; they are preparing for careers in an industry that is ever-evolving and reshaping how we race. 

But what makes it so compelling to students and why is it such an important steppingstone for a future career in motorsport? That’s the question I hope to answer in this multi-part discussion as we explore what FSAE is and how it serves as the basis for innovation, the skills that one develops through this program, and why so many of today’s industry professionals kickstarted their career in the shop of a university racing team. 

1. Part 1: The Competition: Breaking Down the FSAE Competition

So what is Formula SAE/Formula Student? FSAE is a collegiate motorsport competition that is typically associated with a student’s university. While the competition focuses on designing, building, and racing formula-style race cars, it requires insights from both engineering and business students to propel the team forward. FSAE challenges teams of undergraduate and graduate students to, “conceive, design, fabricate, develop and compete with small, formula-style vehicles” (SAE.org). Developed by Ron Matthews a professor at the University of Texas through the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), it quickly expanded to England and branched out under the name “Formula Student”. Currently, the SAE coalition hosts 3 competitions, Formula Hybrid at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway and separate IC and EV FSAE competitions at the Michigan International Speedway. While internationally Formula Student has turned into a major feat of collegiate engineering with over 20 competitions hosted around the world by engineering societies and private businesses. 

However, FSAE isn’t just a race, it’s a multi-faceted engineering and business competition designed to put teams' design and strategy to the test. It “requires performance demonstration of vehicles in a series of events, both off track and on track against the clock” (SAE.org). The competition is broken into a series of both static and dynamic events. 

• Static Events 

• Design Event: The team presents their car to a panel of industry professionals and engineers who scrutinize every component of the car to test the engineers on their knowledge and innovation. 

• Cost and Manufacturing Event: This part of the competition is a means to evaluate the team’s ability to consider budget and incorporate efficiency in their production through the submission of cost reports. 

• Business Presentation Event: Blending engineering, business, finance, marketing, and management teams must create a thorough well-organized business plan answering questions presented by the SAE Coalition.

- Dynamic Events

• Acceleration: Measures the car’s 0-60 mph time through a straight-line sprint

• Skid pad: Tests the vehicle’s corning ability by measuring the time it takes to complete 1 left-hand and 1 right-hand turn

• Autocross: Assesses the handling and agility through a course track composed of 2 heats with a different driver in each taking the fastest lap time into consideration

• Endurance: Evaluates the car’s durability and reliability through a 22 km race 

While race week is the ultimate FSAE test, the real hard work and dedication begin long before the car hits the track. Most teams start the design process months in advance and spend countless hours and long sleepless nights at the shop throughout the school year while balancing a full course load, part-time jobs, and internships. From fine-tuning each part to overcoming obstacles, Formula SAE is a rigorous test of endurance and dedication to the craft. It truly tests the teamwork and resilience of each member as they must coordinate across sub-teams and majors. The competition gives the students a glimpse into the real world of professional motorsports as they must adapt under pressure, handle unavoidable struggles, and build a repertoire of racing knowledge.

However, FSAE doesn’t just craft well-versed students, it launches them into careers in the motorsports industry. It prepares them for a smooth transition into roles at companies such as Red Bull Racing, McLaren, SpaceX, and many automotive companies. By mirroring the trends in current motorsports competition such as Formula 1, and Formula E, and endurance racing such as IMSA, Formula SAE works to shape the next generation of racing. We’ll uncover how this ability to foster new developments in motorsports and production vehicles is a major component of Formula SAE in the next section.