UA Baja Racing was the only U.S. team in the top 3 best design presentations at a recent international competition. The College of Engineering's off-road race club also placed in the top 3 for overall design at the event, which attracted 99 teams from around the world.

UA Baja Racing team members and vehicles assemble for a group shot at the Baja SAE international competition in Bellingham, Wash.

Student teams from the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Venezuela, India, and South Africa descended on the Hannegan Speedway in Bellingham, Wash., May 19-22, to battle it out in the annual Baja SAE Western Series organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers and hosted by Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash.

Josh Spivey, club president and mechanical engineering senior, attributed the team's success to the vehicle's innovative design. "I think we had a great design," Spivey said. "The judges look for lots of innovation in design, as well as craftsmanship and quality of work. The car only had about 10 small parts we didn't make ourselves."

Designing a successful car is only part of the process. The team must also present their design to competition judges and write a design report. "Judges ask hundreds of questions and give teams a real grilling, about everything from costs to ergonomics," Spivey said. "It's all about how clearly we can present what we know."

Double Entry

The UA entered two teams and two vehicles in this year's event: Team Red in car 25 and Team Blue in car 78. Although Team Red excelled in the design class, Team Blue beat out every team on the track to win the unofficial award for most spectacular crash.

"All the schools voted car 78 the best crash," Spivey said. "This was our freshmen entry, and it showed the grit the team has. The driver got stuck at the top of a rock crawl, but kept trying and trying to break free. He wouldn't give up. In the end he gave it too much gas and flipped over backwards."

UA Baja Racing now has about 35 members, which is why UA fielded two teams this year. "Car 78 was a way to involve new members in the design of a new car," Spivey said. "They gained a lot of experience at this competition, which means we'll have better teams for next year."

During the event, teams and vehicles are judged on cost, design, presentation, acceleration, maneuverability, rock crawling and hill climbing ability, and endurance.

It's a brutal test of engineering and few cars emerge unscathed. "One of our cars broke a suspension arm, and one car got hit by another competitor," Spivey said. Despite the setbacks, both cars completed the grueling 4-hour endurance event. Spivey said the teams were more than equal to the challenges on the field. "The teams really pulled together and got us back on the track," he said.

The course at Hannegan Speedway was strewn with rocks, jumps, logs and other obstacles to challenge cars and drivers, such as giant truck tires. "The ground was all chewed up from constant use, and muddy," Spivey said. "It's the best course I've seen in this competition."

International Competition

Baja SAE, organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers, consists of three regional competitions that simulate real-world engineering design projects and their related challenges. The idea behind the competition is to prepare team members for work in the real world and its rules and regulations, deadlines and goals.

UA Baja Racing builds new vehicles every year and competes in the Baja SAE Collegiate Design Series every summer. Teams must design, build, market and race a single-seat off-road vehicle while securing financial support for their vehicles and keeping up educational priorities.

Of the 99 teams that entered this year's event, 14 failed to qualify. Rochester Institute of Technology was the overall winner with 915 points out of a possible 1000. UA Team Red came in 52nd with 491 points, and Team Blue placed 53rd with 475 points.

At the end of the race, Spivey said, it's not the overall scores that count. "The score doesn't truly reflect the quality of the experience," he said. "What really counts is the team all bonding and working together and learning. There is a huge learning curve at an event like this."

Spivey is already looking forward to introducing a new class of freshmen to the joys of Baja racing, and is confident about the team's chances at next year's event. "The team bonding was amazing, and we have a really experienced team," he said. "It was great to hear newer members talking about next year, so we are excited about the club's future."