CW.

Formula SAE / South Dakota Mines

Build the car.
Develop the engineers.

Formula SAE gives students responsibility for an entire vehicle-development cycle. The team designs, analyzes, manufactures, assembles, tests, and competes with a student-built formula-style car.

See the engineering workWhat Formula SAE teaches
South Dakota Mines Formula Hardrocker Racing car 79 in side profile at Formula SAE Michigan.
Car 79 at Formula SAE Michigan, built and developed by Formula Hardrocker Racing.

Why Formula SAE matters

A race car is the assignment. Engineering judgment is the result.

Formula SAE is an SAE International collegiate engineering design competition. Students operate like a small engineering organization, taking a vehicle from requirements and concepts through manufacturing, validation, technical inspection, and competition.

Performance matters, but so do safety, cost, reliability, manufacturability, documentation, and the ability to defend every engineering decision.

01

Student-owned

Students make and defend the engineering decisions.

02

Full cycle

One academic year connects requirements, CAD, analysis, fabrication, testing, and competition.

03

Measured under pressure

Static judging, technical inspection, and dynamic events test how well the design and the team perform under real constraints.

1000Total points
325Static pointsPresentation, Cost and Manufacturing, Engineering Design
675Dynamic pointsAcceleration, Skid Pad, Autocross, Endurance, Efficiency

The annual engineering cycle

One year. One complete vehicle-development cycle.

  1. 01

    Design

    Requirements, CAD, packaging, and interfaces.

  2. 02

    Analyze

    FEA, CFD, vehicle dynamics, and trade studies.

  3. 03

    Build

    Machining, welding, composites, wiring, and assembly.

  4. 04

    Test

    Data, inspection, validation, failure, and iteration.

  5. 05

    Compete

    Design, cost, technical inspection, and dynamic events.

Every phase feeds the next. A strong concept that cannot be manufactured, tested, serviced, or explained is not a finished Formula SAE design.

Meet the car

One car. Six connected engineering systems.

Formula Hardrocker Racing organizes the vehicle across six major technical groups. No subsystem succeeds alone, so every decision must account for packaging, loads, manufacturing, reliability, serviceability, and the rest of the car.

01

Frame

Structure, driver protection, packaging, stiffness, and subsystem mounting.

02

Powertrain

Engine, driveline, cooling, fuel, exhaust, and power delivery.

03

Suspension

Tires, geometry, steering, dampers, brakes, and vehicle response.

04

Aerodynamics and Body

Bodywork, composite structures, airflow, and aerodynamic devices when used.

05

Ergonomics

Driver fit, controls, pedals, visibility, access, and safety interfaces.

06

Electrical

Wiring, sensors, data acquisition, controls, and reliable power distribution.

Competition results

Competition turns assumptions into evidence.

2025 / Car 80

37th of 121 teams
  • 18th in Skid Pad
  • 28th in Endurance
  • 32nd in Autocross

2026 / Car 79

66th of 131 teams
  • 35th in Acceleration
  • 28th in Cost and Manufacturing
  • Tied for 43rd in Engineering Design

The two seasons show why reliability is performance. Strong results in individual events cannot replace a complete endurance run or valid finishes across the dynamic program. Formula SAE rewards the entire engineering system: the car, its documentation, its validation, and the team's ability to operate it under pressure.

Formula Hardrocker Racing car 79 driving through heavy rain during the endurance event.
Car 79 competing in the rain during the 2026 endurance event.

Formula SAE engineering work

The car is built from individual engineering decisions.

These case studies show structural analysis, physical validation, and manufacturing documentation behind the complete team effort.

See Clint's Formula SAE role

Team and competition

Formula Hardrocker Racing's 2026 student team standing with car 79 at competition.
The 2026 Formula Hardrocker Racing team with car 79 at Formula SAE Michigan.
Formula Hardrocker Racing car 80 driving between cones during the 2025 endurance event.
Car 80 completed endurance in 2025, helping FHR finish 37th overall.
Formula Hardrocker Racing car 80 on the Formula SAE tilt-test platform.
Technical inspection is part of the design requirement, not a final formality.
Formula Hardrocker Racing car 80 silhouetted in front of the Burning of the M ceremony.
Car 80 at the Burning of the M, connecting the finished vehicle to South Dakota Mines tradition.

Competing since 1996

The car changes every year. The standard stays the same: design it, build it, prove it, and leave the next team stronger.

Looking for an engineer who can own the whole process?

From the load case
to the finish line.

Formula SAE has taught me to connect analysis, manufacturing, testing, documentation, and team execution around hardware that must work.

Contact meView experience