Co-Founder
Brian Do
Bellarmine College Preparatory
Class of 2028
The Pit Crew Project
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.
Evergreen · Instruction Session
EVHS Capstone · Go-Kart Build
ADI founding sponsor
4 disciplines one capstone build
San Jose in-person, hands-on
501(c)(3) fiscally sponsored nonprofit
The big picture
How the course comes together.
Four disciplines, taught side by side, all converging on one capstone build.
Our sponsors
Backed by industry, designed for students.
FOUNDING SPONSOR
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 SponsorFrom our workshops
What building looks like.
A look inside our sessions — from circuit wiring to full-scale builds
EXHIBIT 01
Instruction Session — Students learning about engine systems and mechanics.
EXHIBIT 02
Build Session — High-value power tools and workshop gear provided by the club.
EXHIBIT 03
Wiring & Electronics — Student-built digital speedometer with fuel & temp readouts.
EXHIBIT 04
Shop & Fabrication — DS80 minibike restoration & teardown project.
EXHIBIT 05
Completed Build — Fully assembled capstone competition go-kart ready for track testing.
Who we are
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.
Co-Founder
Nabil Raja
Evergreen Valley High School
Class of 2028
Our founders bring perspectives from Bellarmine and Evergreen Valley. We welcome students from all schools, backgrounds, and experience levels, and want every student to feel that they belong in engineering.
A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDERS
We're Brian Do and Nabil Raja. We started The Pit Crew Project because we wanted students to learn engineering by building something real, not just by reading about it.
We know how difficult it can be to find funding, tools, and time as high school students. That shaped our focus on younger students: we wanted to give them a chance to explore engineering before the demands of high school grow, through experiences we wish we'd had earlier.
Coming from Bellarmine College Preparatory and Evergreen Valley High School, we share a commitment to making hands-on learning welcoming and accessible across backgrounds and experience levels. Every course we run is designed around that idea: give students a real project, real tools, and real ownership over what they build.
Brian Do & Nabil RajaCo-Founders, The Pit Crew Project
The course
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.
01
Code
Programming the logic that controls advanced technology, essential features, and all onboard electronics.
02
Hardware
Circuits, wiring, sensors, and the electronics that connect code to the machine.
03
Woodworking
Shop fundamentals — measuring, calculating, and mapping out a frame and body by hand.
04
Automotive
Motors, drivetrains, and the automotive systems that make our world move.
For schools
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.
1
Capstone build per cohort
Every cohort works toward the same goal: a fully built, fully functional go-kart — designed, wired, and fabricated by the students themselves.
Get involved
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.