Our Crowdfunding Groups
Who we are and what we do
The Iowa State Formula SAE Team, based at the Student Innovation Center in Ames, Iowa, has proudly built over 25 vehicles for the Formula SAE competition. With each car, our team has focused on innovation and refinement, driving continuous improvement. This year marks an exciting milestone as we transition to making an electric powertrain, aiming to develop a highly competitive electric vehicle (EV) for upcoming competitions. Alongside this shift, we are advancing the testing and validation of our current car, CR-28, with a goal of achieving our best performance to date at the Michigan competition and ultimately securing a victory.
Our design criteria evolve continually to meet the goals of the series, positioning Iowa State FSAE for competitive success. This progress is made possible by the invaluable support of our sponsors, whose contributions to funding, products, and services enable us to compete at an elite level.
Formula SAE
Formula SAE is a global engineering competition organized by SAE International, where university teams from around the world design and build prototype race cars. Each team functions as a startup company, targeting the non-professional weekend autocross racer. Besides the engineering challenge, teams must also showcase their business skills by presenting the feasibility of engineering, manufacturing, and marketing their vehicles to industry professionals. With over 500 teams from six continents, Formula SAE is the world's largest engineering competition, bringing together the brightest minds from top engineering schools.
Formula SAE Michigan Competiton
Our team’s primary competition is Formula SAE Michigan, held each May. This event gathers 120 teams from leading engineering schools worldwide, providing a platform to showcase the best in student automotive engineering. Competing teams are evaluated by top engineers and executives from industry giants like General Motors, Ford, Tesla, Stellantis, Rivian, and Magna International.
The competition assesses teams across multiple critical areas: engineering design and innovation, cost analysis, speed and performance metrics, vehicle efficiency, and the ability to develop and pitch a compelling business model. This judging approach challenges each team to not only build a high-performing car but also demonstrate sound engineering and business practices, embodying the full spectrum of skills needed in the automotive industry.
Events at Comp
TECHNICAL INSPECTION
The Technical Inspection is the first and most rigorous event, where each car undergoes a comprehensive safety and compliance evaluation across areas like structure, driver protection, electrical systems, and adherence to Formula SAE’s detailed rulebook. Every component is scrutinized to ensure the car meets the competition's strict safety standards, including the Brake Test—a final requirement where the car must demonstrate its braking capability by locking all four wheels without stalling. Passing Technical Inspection certifies the vehicle as SAE-compliant and ready for high-performance competition, marking a proud achievement for the entire team.
DESIGN REVIEW
In this static event, team members present and defend the car's engineering design to a panel of top industry engineers. Each component’s design choices, engineering rationale, and manufacturing processes are scrutinized, requiring team members to communicate their work professionally and clearly. The top teams progress to design finals, where the best ten designs are showcased in front of the entire competition, offering a unique learning experience in real-world engineering communication.
BUSINESS PRESENTATION
Formula SAE goes beyond engineering; teams must operate like a professional business. This event assesses the team's budget management, outreach efforts, social media, supply chain, and five-year business plan projections. Each team also tackles an annual prompt, presenting a solution to a realistic business scenario judged by industry executives. This event is integral to a winning team’s strategy, as it tests practical business understanding alongside engineering.
COST EVENT
The Cost Event challenges teams to demonstrate their ability to manage production costs by presenting a detailed cost analysis of their vehicle. Teams are required to submit a comprehensive report that outlines the materials, labor, manufacturing processes, and overall expenses involved in building their car. During the event, judges assess the accuracy, detail, and feasibility of the report, as well as the team’s understanding of cost-effective manufacturing techniques. This event highlights each team’s ability to balance performance with financial efficiency, reflecting the real-world engineering skills needed to produce high-quality products within budget constraints.
ACCELERATION
The Acceleration Event is a 75-meter straight sprint, testing how quickly the car reaches the 75-meter mark from a standstill. Two drivers get two runs to record the best possible time, demonstrating the vehicle’s power and responsiveness.
SKID-PAD
The Skid-Pad Event is a test of cornering and grip, where cars race around a figure-8 track to record the best time. This test is a key measure of handling and lateral acceleration, showcasing the vehicle’s G-force capabilities. Two drivers get two runs to do the circles in the fastest time possible. Drivers must stay focused on staying within the cones, as hitting a cone is a quarter-second penalty, and going off course or doing the wrong number of circles will result in a DNF.
AUTOCROSS
Autocross challenges the car’s handling and agility over a tight, winding course of straights and turns. Each of the two drivers completes two laps on a half-mile-long track. Drivers must avoid hitting cones as each cone hit is a two-second penalty. Performance in Autocross also determines eligibility for the Endurance event, making it critical for the team's overall success.
ENDURANCE
Endurance is the ultimate test, combining elements from other events in a grueling 22-kilometer race divided between two drivers. Reliability is crucial, as many cars break down before reaching the finish line. Successfully completing this event yields the highest points, and watching the car cross the finish line is one of the most rewarding moments for any team.
Cars From Previous Years
Social Media
Follow us on our ride through social media!
Instagram: iowastateformulasae
Facebook: IowaStateFormulaSAE
LinkedIn: FormulaSAEatIowaState
TikTok: isuformulasae
The sprint race donation is much like a sprint race: it's not the largest race out there, but WOW, it makes an impact on the championship!
With this donation, you are giving the team the chance to make that final push to the checkered flag for victory!
The Factory-Back donation is a great way to show your support and back your favorite formula team, much like car manufacturers back real F1 teams!
With the Burning Rubber donation, you are helping the team put the rubber to the road and do some victory burnouts in the winner's circle!
With the Turbocharged donation, you are helping the team charge its way to victory! With a donation of this size, you get to choose to have a small name or logo on the car!
A checkered flag donation helps the team get to the finish line of success! With a donation of this size, you get to choose to have a medium-sized name or logo on the car!
A Victory Lane donation helps the team achieve so much of its goals and has a massive impact on our team. With a donation of this size, you get to choose to have a large name or logo on the car so you will even be in Victory Lane with us!