Who can join?

Any current student at the University of Arizona can join regardless of major. If you are a current Pima Community College student interested in joining, please reach out to us.

How do I join?

Join our Discord server and follow us on Instagram (@arizona.fsae) to be up to date on meeting times. Then, just show up! Once at the shop (AME N213) we’ll have you sign a safety contract. There is no fee for UA students joining WFR.

I don’t know anything about cars, can I still join?

Absolutely! We accept students of all experience levels and will teach you everything you need to know. WFR’s internal peer mentorship program will connect you with experienced members on the sub team(s) you’re interested in to help familiarize you with the shop and get you onboarded to a project.

What can I learn on WFR?

WFR gives engineering and marketing/business students hands-on projects that are relevant to their majors. You can explore multiple aspects of racecar design and operation through our different sub teams, and also get fabrication experience in our shop. We teach basic metal manufacturing, welding, machining, soldering, and carbon fiber manufacturing. Additionally, you can gain leadership experience in our mentorship program that is tailored to generate skills in project management, problem solving, and teaching.

What’s the time commitment like?

We like to say that you get out what you put in. Everyone on this team is a student and understands that classes come first, so there’s no minimum hours per week required for this club. We hold general body meetings for 2-4 hours every Sunday and sub team meetings in the evenings for 1-2 hours on various weekdays. You can decide how much of that time you would like to show up for. The only expectation is that you communicate with your lead about involvement level.

How big is WFR?

Between 7 technical sub teams, 1 non-technical sub-team, and a small group for administration, our club has 40-50 active members. We also have an expansive alumni network, seeing as our Discord server has around 500 members. WFR is growing significantly, and we are aiming to compete with the larger teams very soon.

Which sub team should I join?

Our sub teams include aerodynamics, CCSB (cockpit, controls, safety, braking), drivetrain, electrical, frame, powertrain, suspension, and marketing/business. You can join as many sub teams as you would like, however most members choose to specialize in one. If you have questions about a specific sub team, we encourage you to reach out to that sub team’s lead either via Discord or email.

How is the club funded?

WFR is mainly funded by the University of Arizona college of engineering, which generously gives us a base funding of $45,000 annually. We also reach out to other campus organizations and local businesses to gain additional funding. Any money the club receives goes towards building and maintaining the car, and towards getting us all the way to Brooklyn, Michigan every year for the competition. Please let us know if you are interested in making a donation!

What kind of oversight does the club have?

Our club faculty advisor is Dr. Jeffrey Jacobs, Elwin G. Wood Distinguished Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Professor. Dr. Jacobs is an extremely supportive advisor that encourages WFR leadership to hone their engineering and decision making skills independently, so in essence, this team is fully student-run. The top leadership of WFR includes the President, Vice President, and Technical Director.

What’s the difference between Formula and Baja?

Baja Wildcat Racing is our fantastic sister club that we share a shop space with. Both clubs operate under the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Baja has a similar structure to Formula, but focuses on building an off-road vehicle every year. Membership is not limited to only one of our SAE clubs; do what interests you!

How often do you compete?

Each year we design and build a new car from scratch with a final destination of the Formula SAE competition in May. We travel to Michigan International Speedway to compete against over 100 other teams. That is our main event, but we also showcase our car at the Southwest Shootout in April with ASU, NAU and GCU.

Do you race against other cars?

At the Formula SAE competition we compete with other universities at the international scale. Student Formula does not permit wheel to wheel racing (we’re not racecar drivers), and instead breaks the competition down into multiple scored events. Our team is judged on design, cost, and business model presentations, while the car scores points in dynamic events that include autocross, acceleration, skidpad, and endurance.

How does UA place?

WFR was extremely competitive in the early 2000s, then some program changes briefly took us off the competition results board. We’re excited to share that the 2025 team made it to the competition for the first time in 3 years, and placed 81st out of 144 teams.

Who gets to drive the car?

Our drivers are selected based on leadership and car handling skill level. Club officers get opportunities to drive the car on testing days, which helps determine our competition roster of 4 drivers. Highly involved mentors are also occasionally considered for driving. If you are interested in driving, WFR has no shortage of opportunities for leadership that you can step into after just 1 year on the team.

How do you design the car?

Our design choices are based on the FSAE rules, team goals, and manufacturability. We use a plethora of Computer Aided Design tools to create the complex systems that make up our cars. Our main software is Solidworks, but we also use Optimum K, Ansys, and Mastercam. All of these softwares you have the opportunity to learn on this team, along with the engineering design process.

How many rules are there?

Every Formula team must design around the SAE rulebook, which is over 100 pages long and changes every year. This requires every sub team lead to be knowledgeable about their section of the rules and to be adaptive in designs.

Where do you build the car?

Our facility is in the aerospace and mechanical engineering (AME) building on campus. We house a plethora of tools and machines that assist us in the manufacturing process including a Haas CNC VMC, lathe, manual mill, plasma cutter, TIG welder, and 3D printer. Our club also has access to the AME composites room, which is where we do our carbon fiber layups. We test the car at the UA Tech Park.

How much does the car weigh?

Without a driver, the car weighs just under 500 lbs. The heaviest components of the car are the engine and the frame.

What’s the car’s 0 to 60?

Though this is currently untested, we predict our 0-60mph time would be around 3-4 seconds. With the car only weighing approximately 500lbs and 4 slick tires, our car is very quick from a stop.

What type of engine does the car use?

Our car uses a 2003 GSX-R600, which comes from Suzuki’s sport motorcycle series. Formula SAE engines are required to be four-stroke, piston driven, and below 710cc. We buy our engine blocks used, and then design and fabricate the powertrain system around it ourselves. That includes the fuel system, cooling system, intake, exhaust, and oil pan.

Why a naturally aspirated engine?

Powertrain has decided to maintain a naturally aspirated (NA) engine (no turbo) due to its diminishing returns. NA engines are mechanically simpler, and for a newer team, this is key. Adding a turbo can increase horsepower, but the added weight of the additional components required often offsets the horsepower gained. Heat management for our cars becomes a significant problem, especially with smaller vehicles that experience heat soak to nearby electrical components. Many teams that experimented with turbos have returned to NA for more driveable, controllable power.

What is the frame made out of/what kind of welding does the team do?

Our car’s frame/chassis is constructed with 4130 Chromoly steel tubing. This past year we cut, coped, bent, and TIG (tungsten inert gas) welded every member on the car ourselves. FSAE rules specify acceptable tubing types and required tubing sizes for various members. Our frame/chassis is considered a space frame that runs a stressed engine because of how the engine is mounted.

How do you operate the car?

With the powertrain coming straight from a motorcycle, much of the operation of the car is similar to riding a motorcycle. There is a gas pedal and brake pedal, and the shifting is operated by hand (sequential). The clutch is operated using a handle on the shift lever. The clutch must be used when starting from a stop, and fully engaged for each gear shift. As for the rest of the cockpit, steering is the same as a regular car, and you can adjust your brake bias while driving.

What’s the car’s operating system?

Our car’s operating system and dashboard display is MOTEC. This component is one of the main focuses of the electrical sub team.

What kind of suspension is on the car?

For our 2026 car, we will be utilizing direct-acting suspension on all four wheels. Ohlins coilovers are the main event of our suspension assembly, and control arms are fabricated in-house. The suspension is a double wishbone with a pushrod geometry. 

What kind of carbon do you use?

We use a mix of carbon clothes with the outer being 12k plain weave and the inner being a mix of 3k twill weave. The layups are done wet using a vacuum bag setup.