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Baja SAE consists of regional competitions intended to be engineering design projects. Competing students are tasked to design and build an off-road vehicle that can endure the severe punishment of rough terrain and in some cases even water. The vehicle tests within each contest include maneuverability, acceleration, suspension, traction, and endurance.
All vehicles are powered by the same model motor -- a 10 horsepower Intek Model 20 engine donated by the Briggs & Stratton Corporation. The engine itself cannot be modified, thus making the design challenge more about engineering than racing.
The University of Tulsa has competed in a number of SAE Baja competions since 2002. The results at these competitions have varied, though the vehicles have typically finished in the middle of the pack. More specifics about the individual competition results can be found on the "past results" page.
In the past, each year's TU Baja team has utilized the same design concepts as the previous year, which is a major reason why TU has always finished with the same results -- middle of the pack. The goal for the 2011 team is to integrate new ideas and new design concepts by testing and analyzing different elements on older "retired" baja cars. The hope is that the resulting design will be competitive with the top engineering schools in the country, placing high in this year's competition in Pittsburgh, Kansas. |
