The Barometer Online

Issue date: 6/24/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Contributed Photo The Oregon State SAE Baja 2008 car, which went to the Oregon competition, rounds a corner. The team won the 2009 national competition in Burlington, Wis.

By Craig Bidiman

Last week, the Oregon State Baja SAE team won the national off-road racing championship in Burlington, Wis. for the second time in four years.
In the final event, the team eclipsed the competition, moving from fourth place all the way up to claiming victory of the four-hour endurance race.
"We're incredibly proud," team captain John Fellows said. "We showed everyone we're for real and our car can match up with anyone."
The car that won the event for the team was from the senior design project of several of the seniors involved.
Fellows, a recent OSU graduate, explained that the group had started designs on the car at the beginning of fall term and began constructing it during winter break.
Over 100 teams from both U.S. and foreign universities competed in the three day event, spanning Jun. 11-14. The students involved were all undergraduates who designed, built and raced the single-seat, off-road vehicle.
Events range from climbing hills, maneuvering obstacles, crawling over boulders and the inevitable four hour-finale.
"There are a lot of bright students from engineering and other fields who take part in this competition," Robert Paasch, team advisor and an OSU professor of mechanical engineering, said. "I think what makes OSU special is that we're really a team in the true sense of the word. We work together to get the best each person has to offer."
"And we beat the best teams in the world."
OSU's college of engineering was well represented on the 16-man team; others majoring in business and marketing were also involved. The car featured a new power train with two forward gears and a geared reverse. This is quite contrary to the typical single forward gear with a neutral and chain-driven reverse.

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