August 6, 2026
Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan
Chairman: Hiroki Nakajima

On Wednesday, August 5th, shortly after 7 PM, during the 24th Formula SAE Japan 2026, an incident occurred at the event hosted by our organization, where a fire broke out near the engine of an ICV (gasoline engine) class vehicle that had its engine started and was waiting to run in preparation for the competition.

Following the fire, those involved used fire extinguishers to put it out, and the fire department later confirmed that the fire was extinguished. There were no injuries as a result of this incident. The vehicle sustained some damage.

This morning, August 6th (Thursday), we conducted an investigation of the vehicle in question with the fire department present. Based on our previous findings, we have determined that the fire originated from the exhaust pipe area.

As a safety measure to ensure the continuation of the competition, we will add inspection items and conduct a re-inspection of all ICV vehicles. Only vehicles whose safety has been confirmed through the re-inspection will be allowed to participate in the competition, and the competition will resume with limited content.

Looking ahead to the next fiscal year, we will utilize the lessons learned from this incident to review regulations and vehicle inspection procedures, and implement further safety measures.

We sincerely apologize to everyone involved for the great inconvenience and worry we have caused.