Formula Student
Formula Student is an international engineering competition organized by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) that challenges university students to design, build, test, and race small-scale formula-style racing cars. This multidisciplinary competition, open to teams from universities worldwide, involves students from engineering, business, and marketing backgrounds. The event comprises both static and dynamic segments, including design evaluations, cost assessments, business presentations, as well as acceleration, skid-pad, autocross, endurance, and fuel economy tests. Participants must adhere to strict guidelines to ensure safety and promote innovation, with cars undergoing technical inspections before dynamic events. Formula Student includes categories for internal combustion engine vehicles, electric-powered vehicles, and a concept class for teams presenting comprehensive designs without a physical car. This competition offers practical applications of engineering theories and helps students develop project management, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. With competitions held in various countries such as the India, Germany and Italy, Formula Student enjoys global reach and significant support from major automotive and engineering firms. This backing not only provides valuable networking opportunities but also enhances career prospects for participating students, bridging the gap between academic learning and real-world engineering challenges.
Formula Bharat
Formula Bharat is an Indian Formula Student-style engineering design competition in which students from colleges and universities all over the country, compete with a life-size formula-style vehicle in areas of engineering design, overall cost, marketability and dynamic performance. The series replicates the global student Formula series hosted in around 11 countries per year.
Static Events
Engineering Design
The design event assesses students' engineering process and effort in vehicle design for a competition. Teams must submit an engineering design report and a design specifications sheet beforehand. At the event, vehicles must be fully assembled and race-ready for judging.
Cost and Manufacturing
The cost and manufacturing event evaluates teams' understanding of manufacturing processes and costs for a prototype race car. This includes decisions on content vs. cost, make vs. buy, and prototype vs. mass production. Teams must submit a Cost Report with a detailed Bill of Materials and documentation. Vehicles must be fully assembled, ready-to-race, and with dry tires for judging.
Business
The Business Plan Presentation (BPP) evaluates a team's ability to present a viable business model for their prototype race car, treating judges as potential investors. The business plan must relate to the specific race car in the competition, but the car's quality is not judged. An executive summary of the business plan must be submitted before the competition.
Dynamic Events
Skid Pad
The skidpad course consists of two pairs of concentric circles in a figure of eight pattern. Each team has four runs, driven by two drivers with two runs each. Each driver has the option to make a second run immediately after their first run.
Acceleration
The acceleration course is a straight line with a length of 75 m from starting line to finish line. Each team has four runs, driven by two drivers with two runs each. Each driver has the option to make a second run immediately after their first run.
Autocross
The autocross track layout is a handling course built to contains straights, constant turns, hairpins, slaloms, chicanes etc. The length of the autocross track is less than 1.5 km. Each team has up to four runs, driven by two drivers with two runs each. Each driver has the option to make a second run immediately after their first run.
Endurance
The endurance track is a closed circuit, similar to an autocross track, with one lap approximately 1 km long and the entire race about 22 km. There is only one run, with the starting order based on autocross event times. Drivers change at the 11 km midpoint within a three-minute window; any extra time is added to the final time. Multiple cars can be on the track simultaneously, overtaking only in designated zones under track marshals' control. Wheel-to-wheel racing is prohibited.
Efficiency
Endurance energy is calculated by integrating the measured voltage and current logged by the energy meter. Regenerated energy is multiplied by 0.9 and subtracted from the used energy. Only vehicles scoring points in the endurance event receive efficiency points. Teams exceeding Tmax (D 7.7.4) in corrected elapsed time receive zero efficiency points.
Formula Green
Formula Green, launched by ISNEE Motorsports Pvt. Ltd. in 2014, is a student design competition challenging university teams to design, build, and race small formula-style cars with a focus on safety, engineering practice, and design. Vehicles undergo multiple tests and must comply with strict rules. The competition combines academic concepts with real-world experience, bridging education, community, and industry. It aims to develop future innovators and leaders in mobility and transport technologies.
Supra SaeIndia
SAEINDIA, a strategic partner of SAE International with over 50,000 members, organizes events based on international student competitions. The Supra event, inspired by Formula SAE, is a national competition for Indian engineering students to design and build race cars meeting strict design, safety, and performance standards. This platform fosters aspiring entrepreneurs, technocrats, and innovators in the Indian automotive industry.
Vehicle specifications are standardized to challenge students' knowledge, creativity, and imagination. The competition includes various tests:
- Technical Inspection: Safety scrutiny, Tilt Test, Noise Test, and Brake Test.
- Static Events: Cost, Marketing, and Design Presentations.
- Dynamic Events: Acceleration, Skid Pad, and Autocross.
- Endurance Run
Formula Germany
Formula Germany is an international design competition where students build single-seater formula-style cars to compete globally. The competition emphasizes not just speed but also construction quality, performance, financial planning, and sales strategy. Teams act as manufacturers developing a prototype for production evaluation, focusing on driving characteristics, cost-effectiveness, reliability, aesthetics, comfort, and standard components. Judged by experts from motorsport and automotive industries, teams present their cars and sales plans, which are evaluated on construction, cost, and presentation. Performance tests on the track further assess the cars' real-world capabilities.
Formula SAE Italy
Formula SAE Italy is a student design competition organized by SAE International, engaging university engineering departments worldwide. Originating in the U.S. in 1981, it reached Europe in the early 2000s and Italy in 2005, initially held at the FIAT Auto Circuit in Balocco. It later moved to Ferrari Fiorano in Maranello and currently takes place at the Riccardo Paletti Circuit in Varano de' Melegari. The competition features challenges divided into two main categories.