Students don't just learn engineering. They build a go-kart to prove it.
A project-based course for San Jose STEM Students combining code, electronics, woodworking, and automotive systems. Taught in person and hands-on, brought straight to your school campus.
How the course comes together.
Four disciplines, taught side by side, all converging on one capstone build.
Backed by industry, designed for students.
Analog Devices, Inc.
Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) backs The Pit Crew Project as a founding sponsor, funding our first set of tools, electronics kits, and build materials to launch our program in San Jose.
Want to help us reach more students?
We're actively seeking grants and sponsors to fund tools, materials, and expansion into more Bay Area schools.
Become a SponsorWhat building looks like.
A look inside our sessions — from circuit wiring to full-scale builds
Engineering education that doesn't stay on paper.
The Pit Crew Project is a hands-on engineering program of the Bay Area Automotive Engineering Council (BAAEC), a San Jose-based nonprofit. Students write the code, wire the circuits, build the frame in the shop, and apply automotive fundamentals. We teach one connected course, rather than four disconnected ones, and every new skill points toward the same goal: a working go-kart they build themselves.
We partner directly with schools to bring the course in person, so students learn engineering the way engineers actually work; as a team, with tools in hand, solving problems that require innovative solutions
I started The Pit Crew Project because I wanted to learn engineering by building something real, not just by reading about it. After going through struggles in funding and availiable time as a high schooler, I was able to eventually run a sucessful program for high schoolers. However, in doing so I realized that the best time to learn these valuable skills is before high school, where other commitments eventually take over. So I decided to start the Pit Crew Project and secured funding for it to help provide any students with an opportunity they have never had before to explore their passion in engineering through hands on work, an experience I wish I had earlier. Every course we run is designed around that idea: give students a real project, real tools, and real ownership over what they build.
Four disciplines. One build.
Each module stands on its own but every one of them feeds directly into the capstone project, so students can turn theoretical knowledge into functional knowledge and learn practical skills that apply to real-world engineering.
Code
Programming the logic that controls advanced technology, essential features, and all onboard electronics.
Hardware
Circuits, wiring, sensors, and the electronics that connect code to the machine.
Woodworking
Shop fundamentals — measuring, calculating, and mapping out a frame and body by hand.
Automotive
Motors, drivetrains, and the automotive systems that make our world move.
A turnkey engineering elective, taught by us, hosted by you.
- We bring the curriculum, instructors, and project materials. Your school provides the classroom and working space.
- Project-based structure gives students a portfolio piece, not just a certificate
- Built to complement existing STEM, shop, and engineering electives.
- Flexible scheduling designed around your school's calendar.
Every cohort works toward the same goal: a fully built, fully functional go-kart — designed, wired, and fabricated by the students themselves.
Let's build the next generation of engineers.
Whether you're a school looking to bring this course to your students, or a sponsor who wants to fund the next cohort, we'd love to hear from you.