Formula Student and Formula SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) are the most well-known students automotive competitions. These events were founded with the aim of giving students the chance to compare each other and to put into practice knowledge acquired during the academic years. Almost all continents are included, as well as well-known sponsors and all the teams were given the chance to compete on the most prestigious world circuits.
In these competitions each University team designs, builds and tests a prototype formula-style car, which must be subject to an accurate regulation. It’s not rewarded the fastest car, but the one with the best combination of performance, economy, producibility and saleability. For that reason, the key to success lies in efficient teamwork, based on the cohesion between each team member and the exchange of information and knowledge, in order to optimize all the development phases of the project.
Tests are divided into two different groups for both races:
Static events (3):
– Cost and Manufacturing
– Business Plan Presentation
– Engineering DesignDynamic tests (5):
– Acceleration
– Skid Pad
– Autocross
– Endurance
– Efficiency
Each of these tests allows getting a different score.
These championships represent a great opportunity to learn how to manage the impact with the real industrial world, also dealing with the economic aspects in the realization of the project, achievable only with the put in practice of the knowledge acquired during the academic years.
