Baja SAE
The goal in Baja SAE is to design, build and race off-road vehicles that can withstand the harshest elements of rough terrain.
All vehicles are powered by a 14 hp Kohler Command Pro CH440 engine with a modified restrictor plate label for competition testing.
[3] Prior to 2023, small engine manufacturer Briggs & Stratton sponsored Baja SAE teams by providing an unmodified Briggs & Stratton Model 19 Vanguard engine single-cylinder, with a displacement of 305 cc and power output of approximately 10 bhp (7.5 kW), free of charge for every two years in competition.
Static events, such as written reports, presentations and design evaluations are provided by participating teams.
The Baja SAE Competition originated at the University of South Carolina in 1976, under the supervision of Dr. Harit Mehta.
Since that time, the competition has grown to become a premier engineering design series with over 110 university teams participating in each race.
Baja SAE® consists of competitions that simulate real-world engineering design projects and their related challenges.
Engineering students are tasked to design and build an off-road vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain.
Each team's goal is to design and build a single-seat, all-terrain, sporting vehicle whose structure contains the driver.
The object of the competition is to provide SAE student members with a challenging project that involves the design, planning and manufacturing tasks found when introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market.
Students must function as a team to not only design, build, test, promote, and race a vehicle within the limits of the rules, but also to generate financial support for their project and manage their educational priorities.
The vehicles are checked by inspectors to make sure that teams adhere to the rules and safety standards set by SAE.
The optional overview "is intended to give each team the opportunity to point out, and briefly comment on, any design features or fabrication processes that are innovative or are expected to result in significant cost savings.
The entire premise behind the Baja SAE competition is to compete for a fictitious contract to manufacture 4000 units a year.
The sales presentation is pitching to a panel of "executives" of a hypothetical manufacturing company to try and convince them to purchase the team's vehicle design and can be able to give a boost to your overall performance.
This event tests the vehicle's ability to climb an incline from a standing start or pull a designated object.
The course may consist of a variety of challenges at the organizer's option, possibly including tight turns, pylon maneuvers, ruts and bumps, drop-offs, sand, rocks, gullies, logs, and inclines.
Specialty Events are designed to test the vehicle under unique off-road conditions that might be available at some Baja SAE competition sites.
The endurance event assesses each vehicle's ability to operate continuously and at speed over rough terrain containing obstacles in any weather conditions.
This was a new initiative introduced in 2014 on the counsel of former president of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, in order to promote greener mobility.
Teams of students need to design and build electric powered ATV that has traction motor of 48 V with fully automatic transmission having 10.83 gear ratios and 110 Ah battery pack.
