Team

Northwestern Formula Racing is an extracurricular student organization dedicated to hands-on engineering excellence. Five dedicated students founded the team in September 2006. Over the next 18 months, the team applied the knowledge learned in the classroom to each component and system on the car. Northwestern Formula Racing’s first vehicle competed in FSAE 2008, at the Michigan International Speedway. Of the 120 entries, Northwestern University placed second among first-year teams and 37th in design, earning “remarkable first-year effort” from the judges.

The goal for 2009-2010 is to build on early successes and implement a long-term plan to develop a strong team and competitive vehicle. The team is working to develop and document the design process, and to establish best practices for simulation and testing. Students who choose to be a part of this program gain practical experience for future jobs and develop strong skills in automotive engineering, mechanical design, team management, and leadership that can only come from Formula SAE.

Competition

Formula SAE:

Formula SAE (FSAE) is an intercollegiate engineering design competition organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), where student teams design, build, and race formula-style racing cars. FSAE began in the USA in 1978, and has now grown to host hundreds of teams from five continents, competing in eight competitions throughout the world.

The FSAE series is internationally regarded as one of the most rigorous collegiate design competitions. Each year, teams spend 8 to 12 months designing, building, and preparing their vehicles for competition.

FSAE Concept:

The concept of the competition is for students to design, build, and race a prototype formula-style vehicle. The prototype is for the non-professional, weekend autocross racer. It must be high-performance, low cost, easy to maintain, and suitable for manufacture at 1000 units per year. Students manage all aspects of the project like a small business, from the technical design to the management of an interdisciplinary team.

Engineering

Teams have overwhelming freedom in the design of their cars. This is evident in the variety and ingenuity presented at each competition. Technical restrictions only exist to ensure safety, and do not limit creativity. Students engage a panel of industry judges to defend their design decisions with supporting analysis. Student drivers compete against the clock in a series of driving events to demonstrate real-world performance of their vehicles.

Business and Marketing

Building a racing car is not all engineering. Complex projects require strong leaders and a cooperative environment to succeed. In addition to managing the project, students must present a business case to a prospective manufacturer as well as a detailed manufacturing and cost analysis, showing complete understanding of what it takes to bring a product to market.

Perspective

FSAE converts classroom knowledge to real world experience. Involvement in the complete design process is a unique educational opportunity.

Links

SAE International

Formula SAE

McCormick

Northwestern

Mechanical Engineering