120 teams registered. 90 cars built. 80 teams pass inspection. 70 cars are running and ready for racing. By the end of the week, another 10 cars will have been damaged beyond repair. The endurance event begins with those who remain. A final 30 will finish. Among the finishers, an elite group fight for victory. These teams hail from around the world. They are our competition.

We are UW Formula Motorsports

We design, build, test and race small formula-style race cars.  We do our own engineering, our own machining and make our own carbon fiber parts.  We find our own sponsorship, manage our own resources and conduct our own public relations.  Our drivers are all students and we maintain our own cars.  We design.  We build.  We compete.

There are many learning opportunities as a member of the team; you will have the chance to gain experience in design, manufacturing, testing, research, fundraising, management and more.  With these experiences, you will be far ahead of your peers in engineering when you graduate.  We welcome all students from across the campus

We are a team of individuals, you will be responsible for your commitment, but there will be plenty of help along the way.  As a team, we win together and we fail together.  Do you have what it takes?

For more than 30 years, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has held an annual competition known as Formula SAE. The goal is to design and build a formula-style racing car, and then compete against similar race cars from all over the world. A Formula SAE car weighs 400 to 500 lbs, with horsepower figures ranging from 50-90 hp. With a 0 to 60 mph time in the 3-4 second range, lateral acceleration of up to 2.0 g and a 60 to 0 braking distance of about 115 ft, an FSAE car will leave most production streetcars in the dust.

The students take the role of being part of a manufacturing firm that must produce 4 racecars a day. The car is to be designed for the weekend autocross racer. This car must have excellent handling, braking, and acceleration capabilities. However, sheer performance is not the only goal. The car must be affordable, easy to maintain, and reliable. Additionally, ergonomics and aesthetics must be addressed. Surely with enough money any car can satisfy these requirements. But the Formula SAE competition requires that the maximum cost of the prototype car cannot exceed $25,000. 

At the competition, each team is judged in several events, including a cost analysis, business presentation, engineering design, and various dynamic performance trials. A panel of judges from the automotive and motorsports industry comes from all over the world for this annual event. The majority of the points earned in the competition come from the dynamic events including a grueling 13 mile endurance event.

2012 is the 24th year that the University of Washington has competed in Formula SAE. Team 24 operates under three goals:

•  To design, build, test and tune a car to maximize total points across all events at competition.
 
•  To justify engineering decisions with simulation validated by physical testing.
 
•  To improve sponsorship, public relations and resource management opportunities through professional business operations, effective documentation and open communication.

In 2012, for the first time in UW Formula Motorsports history, we competed overseas in Europe for Formula Student Germany at the Hockenheimring. Formula Student Germany draws the best teams from around the world, and the opportunity to compete there marks the next step in the growth of the UW Formula Motorsports team.

Team 24 has also begun development of an electric car. This is the first year that an electric vehicle competition will be run in parallel with the combustion competition in the United States. Formula Student Germany has had an electric competition for a few years now, but now we have the opportunity to compete here in the US as well.