SAE International is expanding to launch Formula SAE North next year, a program previously overseen by Formula North Inc., a not-for-profit organization that organized the Formula North competition series in Ontario.

The SAE International Formula SAE program (FSAE) is an engineering design competition for undergraduate and graduate students, providing participants with the opportunity to enhance their engineering design and project management skills by applying learned classroom theories in a challenging competition. The engineering design goal for teams is to develop and construct a single-seat race car for the non-professional weekend autocross racer with the best overall package of design, construction, performance and cost.

Formula SAE North will allow SAE International to immediately service 40 additional university teams, comprising Electric Vehicle and IC Engine classes, as well as expose students to potential team sponsors and future employers.

“Logistically, it made sense to incorporate Formula North because of the similarity to Formula SAE,” SAE International Program Manager Kaley Zundel said. “This new offering will address growing demand, while expanding our efforts to move universities into targeted workforce development activities, especially in the Formula SAE Electric Class.”

Each student team designs, builds and tests a prototype based on a series of rules whose purpose is both to ensure onsite event operations and promote clever problem-solving. The vehicle will be inspected in a series of tests to ensure it complies with the competition rules. The driver will also be judged in many performance tests on track. The rest of the judging is completed by experts from motorsports, automotive, aerospace and supplier industries on student design, cost and sales presentations.

The 2019 Formula SAE North competition dates are May 30–June 2, 2019, in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.