During a Formula SAE competition, the cars are judged in a series of static and dynamic events including static inspection and engineering design, solo performance trials, and high performance track endurance. These events are scored to determine how well the car performs.
The maximum scores in a Formula SAE event are 1000 points, with 675 possible points for dynamic events and 325 possible points for statics
The maximum scores in the dynamic events are:
- Acceleration 75 points
- Skid Pad 50 points
- Autocross 150 points
- Fuel Economy 100 points
- Endurance 300 points
DESCRIPTION
Acceleration: The acceleration event evaluates the car’s acceleration in a straight line on flat pavement. The cars have to accelerate from a standing start over a distance of 75 m. There are two heats, each one must have a different driver and each driver can have two runs (a driver has the option to take a second run immediately after the first). Scoring is determined by taking the ratio of the acceleration time of the slowest allowed car (maximum acceptable acceleration time is 5.8 seconds corresponding to an average speed of 46.55 km/hr) divided by the fastest car.
A total of 75 points is possible for this event
Skid-Pad: This event measures the cornering ability of the car on a flat surface while making a constant-radius turn. The track consists of a figure-eight of two circles of 15.25 m, with the start/stop line defined by the centers of them and sixteen pylons placed around the inside of each circle and sixteen around the outside of each circle. The cars have to enter perpendicular to the figure eight and take one full lap on the right circle to establish the turn. The next lap will be on the right circle and will be timed. Immediately following the second lap, the car enter the left circle for the third lap. The fourth lap will be on the left circle and will be timed. Immediately upon finishing the fourth lap, the car will exit the track. The car will exit at the intersection moving in the same direction as entered. Each car may compete in two heats. Each heat must have a different driver, and each driver may have two runs. A driver has the option to take a second run immediately after the first. The skid-pad score is computed based upon the lateral acceleration capability.
A total of 50 points is possible for this event
Autocross: The concept of the autocross event is to evaluate the car's maneuverability and handling qualities on a tight course without the hindrance of competing cars. The autocross course combines the performance features of the acceleration, braking, and cornering. There are two heats, with each heat having a different driver. Two timed laps have to be run by each driver and the best lap time will stand as the time for that heat. The track contains chicanes, multiple turns, decreasing radius turns and is delimited by cones, with a two seconds time penalty for every knocked over one. The time required to complete each run will be recorded and the team’s best corrected elapsed time is used to determine the score.
A total of 150 points is possible for this event
Endurance and fuel economy: The endurance events is designed to evaluate the overall performance of the car. It’s the main event of the competition. The event is run as a single 22 km heat, on a track that’s quite similar to the autocross one. Teams are not allowed to work on their vehicles during the heat. A driver change must be made during a three-minute period at the mid point of the heat.
Wheel-to-wheel racing is prohibited. The run order for endurance will be based primarily on the finish order for the autocross event with the fastest team first followed by the second fastest etc. The times for the endurance event will be based upon the sum of the times of each driver in the heat plus penalties and the score is based on the team's time for the event, including penalties, compared to the fastest team.
A total of 300 points is possible for this event
The car's fuel economy is also scored during this event. The fuel economy under racing conditions is important in most forms of racing and also shows how well the car has been tuned for the competition. No refueling is allowed during an endurance heat. Score is based on the average liters per kilometer fuel economy obtained during the endurance heat.
A total of 100 points is possible for this event
