About FTAD
Our Mission.
FTAD exists to develop the next generation of technical leaders by challenging high school students to build and run professional racing organizations. Through the equal demands of engineering, business, and competition, students learn to design solutions, lead teams, and perform when it counts.
Every team operates as a real organization. Students engineer a competitive vehicle, secure sponsorships, manage budgets, and develop a public brand. There is no separation between learning and doing. The skills students build are immediate because the environment that demands them is real.
The competition is structured so that no team can win on car performance alone. Engineering, business, and strategy carry equal weight, pushing students into every dimension of running a real operation. FTAD is open to all high school students, with new chapters forming each season and a competition format built so any team can compete meaningfully with the resources available to them.
The Three Pillars.
Engineering
The engineering pillar is where performance is built. Teams design and optimize every physical element of their car, from suspension geometry and aerodynamic casing to electrical systems and material selection. Using CAD tools, simulation data, and real-world testing, engineers are responsible for translating strategy into speed.
Entrepreneurship
A fast car means nothing without the organization behind it. The entrepreneurship pillar challenges teams to build a real brand, secure sponsorships, manage finances, and grow a public presence. These are not supplementary tasks — they are what keep the program running and what make a team's work visible to the world.
Competition
Competition is where everything comes together under pressure. Drivers operate FPV-piloted vehicles on custom-built signature tracks, backed by data-informed decisions and a race strategist calling from the pit. FTAD treats technical skill as a sport: the ability to perform, adapt, and execute in real time is trained, practiced, and earned.
Our Impact!
What people are saying
I came in thinking the competition was about racing RC cars. It's really about whether your entire team can pull something off together. The car is just where it all shows up.
Alex M., Student Competitor
What impressed me most was the professionalism. These students pitch sponsors, run budgets, design their own cars, and basically deliver a real, competitive product. Most people don't develop those skills until years into their careers.
Jordan K., Chapter Mentor