Spring Break
Engineers place first in design at Baja competition in Portland
OSU's Society of Automotive Engineers designed, built an off-road mini-Baja racer
Ben Sundberg
Issue date: 5/12/09 Section: News
By Ben Sundberg
The Daily Barometer
This weekend, the Baja section of OSU's Society of Automotive Engineers traveled to Portland to compete in the 2009 Baja SAE Oregon competition.
The Baja competition gives students the opportunity to design and build an off-road mini-Baja racer. OSU SAE sent two cars to competition: the new 2009 car and the previous 2008 car.
"[The car] is a four-wheel, independent, single-seat buggy," said John Fellows, captain of the Baja team. "We have a 10 horsepower mandated Briggs-and-Stratton motor. It's made to go on all sorts of different terrains."
The car was designed and built by students with the exception of a few parts, the largest of which is the engine itself. Student members of SAE began work this fall to build their Baja racer and practice for the competition. By spring break, they had finished primary fabrication and had a fully functioning vehicle.
"We were really well-prepared … Our preparation really helped in our success," said Sam Porter, a senior on the suspension team.
The biggest difference in design between previous cars and the 2009 car was the addition of a second gear in the transaxle.
"That basically allows us to go about 7 mph faster than our previous car," Fellows said.
The competition, which spans three days, is comprised of three events: static, dynamic and endurance.
In the static events, comprising 300 points of the final score, OSU's Baja team was judged on presentation, design and cost.
In the dynamic events, which total 700 points of the final score, each car is subjected to a series of tests to evaluate acceleration, traction, maneuverability and suspension.
The last event, worth 400 points, is a four-hour endurance race.
"We had a conservative strategy. Nothing broke on either of the cars; they were solid in all events," Porter said.
The '09 car took first place in design, the rock crawl and endurance, second place in the hill climb and maneuverability and third place in acceleration. The '08 car took first in the hill climb and second in the rock crawl and the endurance race.
The Daily Barometer
This weekend, the Baja section of OSU's Society of Automotive Engineers traveled to Portland to compete in the 2009 Baja SAE Oregon competition.
The Baja competition gives students the opportunity to design and build an off-road mini-Baja racer. OSU SAE sent two cars to competition: the new 2009 car and the previous 2008 car.
"[The car] is a four-wheel, independent, single-seat buggy," said John Fellows, captain of the Baja team. "We have a 10 horsepower mandated Briggs-and-Stratton motor. It's made to go on all sorts of different terrains."
The car was designed and built by students with the exception of a few parts, the largest of which is the engine itself. Student members of SAE began work this fall to build their Baja racer and practice for the competition. By spring break, they had finished primary fabrication and had a fully functioning vehicle.
"We were really well-prepared … Our preparation really helped in our success," said Sam Porter, a senior on the suspension team.
The biggest difference in design between previous cars and the 2009 car was the addition of a second gear in the transaxle.
"That basically allows us to go about 7 mph faster than our previous car," Fellows said.
The competition, which spans three days, is comprised of three events: static, dynamic and endurance.
In the static events, comprising 300 points of the final score, OSU's Baja team was judged on presentation, design and cost.
In the dynamic events, which total 700 points of the final score, each car is subjected to a series of tests to evaluate acceleration, traction, maneuverability and suspension.
The last event, worth 400 points, is a four-hour endurance race.
"We had a conservative strategy. Nothing broke on either of the cars; they were solid in all events," Porter said.
The '09 car took first place in design, the rock crawl and endurance, second place in the hill climb and maneuverability and third place in acceleration. The '08 car took first in the hill climb and second in the rock crawl and the endurance race.
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