FAQs

What is the Miraj Race Club?

Miraj Sustainable Racing Club (MSRC) is a non profit organization based in Palo Alto, CA, dedicated to sustainability and education. Our mission is to:

1) Promote research and application of sustainable mobility concepts

2) Enable access to cutting edge, hands on automotive and engineering education

3) Support sustainable practices in motorsports and car racing

MSRC trains students at high school and under-grad level to design and build custom sustainable vehicles and bikes. This involves hands on, project based learning in fabrication, automotive, mechanical and electrical engineering as well as project management and leadership skills. MSRC offers opportunities for students to test drive their creations through drive-throughs and racing events.

These events encourage sustainable practices including adopt-a-highway, clean racing, e-waste management and recycling.

How does it work?

Students need to become members of the club to participate. As a member you get assigned to a team + position and get training on designing and building a sustainable car from scratch. MSRC will sponsor qualifying teams to participate in competitions and races around the world.

What makes this initiative unique?

Unlike other stem competitions where students have to build automated robots to perform tasks, or write code to make cool apps, the Solar Car Challenge requires students to design and build a car that is safe for humans to drive.

It is a highly complex problem space, requiring a combination of mechanical, electrical, solar and fabrication solutions to work together to build a reliable and safe vehicle.

Upon successful and timely completion of assignments and adherence to the code of conduct, students will be eligible for recommendation letters from the Program Director for internship or college applications. Students are also eligible for performance awards each season.

This is a highly advanced level project and students have learnt to navigate complexity and ambiguity, develop design, manufacturing, electrical and leadership skills that are comparable to grad level competency.

Who can participate?

MSRC is currently open to high school and under-grad level students based in the bay area. To participate in the “Build” team, students need to be minimum 16 years. Students applying as drivers need to have minimum 1 year of driving experience and a valid drivers license.

Teams: Join MSRC as a team to participate in our sustainable racing events in 2024. Reach out to hello@mirajraceclub.org for more info on team participation.

What can team members expect?

Designing and building a roadworthy car is a rigorous and challenging experience. Participating in this challenge requires conducting research, on automotive components and how they work, learning to work with metal including welding and learning how solar and electrical components work. This project requires a minimum of 6 hours a week and during “crunch zones” we have worked 12-16 hours a day to complete the project.

Each student is required to contribute to fundraising activities and adhere to the MSRC code of conduct.

What does it cost?

We are a non-for-profit organization and depend on memberships, grants and sponsorships to operate the training, supplies and transportation expenses of this project.

For selected participants, a one time membership of $1000 is required for a student to join. The membership fee is payable before season starts (by November 1st, 2023). Every student is required to cover the cost of their travel, meals and accommodation to the race and competition events which is estimated at $1500 per event. These expenses are payable by 31st March, 2024.