Formula SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) is an annual intercollegiate racing series that challenges universities from around the world to design and build a single seat race car. The competition is designed to give participating students a chance to apply the theory they learn in engineering and management courses, and to go beyond what is taught to explore and implement unique solutions that are directly applicable to real-world problems.

There are three categories in the Formula SAE series: gas, hybrid and electric. Bulldogs Racing has historically competed in the Formula SAE Hybrid Competition held in New Hampshire. Regardless of category, the teams operate like small-scale race car companies, taking ownership of all the engineering, fundraising and management aspects of building and operating a race car. In this process, team members build valuable management, engineering, leadership and communication skills. An important but overlooked aspect is project management – if there is one thing the competition teaches, it is the fact that a race car cannot be built overnight, with countless teams trying and failing to prove otherwise every year. As a result, students who become part of the Formula SAE family get a taste of the automotive(and engineering) industry first-hand, and go on to lead their respective fields after college.