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I've actually also thought about this being implemented in college, with the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers already existing in many colleges. I always thought it would be so awesome and cool to have some shit like that at a college.
Of course, there are some problems and challenges you're going to face with this idea, with the first few being your fellow members of Zilvia.
Money is going to be an issue. You'll already be spending more money on tires than you would be on a Formula SAE car. You'll likely be pushing the drift spec SAE car more than you would the Formula one, occasionally redlining it here and there. Eventually the engine will be pretty worn and you probably won't be reusing it for the following season. You'll need a place to do test runs if you don't have one already. Drifting in your school's parking lot isn't going to be as lowkey as doing a couple of test runs in the FSAE car (which my school has definitely done due to lack of practice area).
Professors who you'll want a sponsorship from will ask you "Why?" as in why would they want to sponsor some car going sideways? It's all about the "style," not really about "getting there first" or "getting the best time." ...then again, I could argue with myself on that and say that in Formula Drift "winning" IS how stylish you can be. Any who, it's less likely that you'll find some older professors who could advise this drifting "sport."
I'll try to organize this better:
ISSUES:
Money
What is the purpose?
How much interest will there be?
What can you get out of it?
Can the things you do in this club be applied to the real world?
As far as the "purpose" and "how it can be applied to the real world" aspects, the cars that are done up in FSAE are designed based off efficiency while keeping costs down, similar to production cars. Drift cars may also be built with the intent of keeping costs down, but as far as efficiency, not so much lol. I feel that may also be another big issue seeing that they have already come out with FSAE Electric.
PROS:
Outside-of-class hands-on experience
Utilizing math, physics, statics, dynamics, etc. to test, design, and analyze aspects of an engineered vehicle
New and upcoming club that could possibly gain interest
I know this post was a bit messy but I thought of things that popped up in my mind and just listed spontaneously. I guess to sum it up it's definitely a cool idea. You definitely can apply engineering stuff to the build when it comes down to it. But will it generate as much interest as the American tradition of racing? How much more extra fundraising will you have to do compared to that of Formula SAE? How can you apply the things you will do in this club to the real world? Just a few questions to think about.
Good luck though man, don't stop chasin' them dreams!
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