Gearing up for Baja


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Courtesy Photo | University of Communications Team Chippewa Performance Baja teams took second, ninth and 23rd at the Midnight Mayhem invitational in Kentucky. Students in CMU's Society of Automotive Engineers ranked higher than every other Michigan university at the event.

While some students are gearing up for classes with books and binders, others are gearing up to design and build a single passenger car.

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Baja is part of an intercollegiate design series where colleges compete in designing, marketing and developing an automotive vehicle comparable to a dune buggy. They compete in a variety of events from races to nationwide competitions throughout the school year.

“In the beginning of the school year we start with the task of designing the car for this upcoming race season,” said Baja President Derek Donovan. “To do this we use a multitude of different computer aided design systems in order to make the best vehicle possible.”

After the design portion is completed, the team will transition into the building and manufacturing stages which usually last until Christmas break. Building and manufacturing includes finding the right pieces to fit the design and installing things like the steering wheel, brakes and vehicle wiring.

Students involved in the Baja team are normally engineering students, but it is not necessary in order to participate in the assembly of the car. Designing, building and racing are just some of what goes into this yearlong project.

“We build an entire business around our team and car,” Donovan said. “We have to make cost reports, do a sales pitch to a panel of judges and make two short commercials advertising our car.”

The team is currently trying to recruit more business students and even those interested in visual arts, graphic design, broadcasting and advertising.

At the official SAE competitions the teams are judged on different categories such as sales, design, acceleration, maneuverability and different climbs. In the Louisville SAE Midnight Mayhem the team will be going back to defend their second place title and trophy.

“Being involved in SAE has really taught me how important teamwork is in engineering,” said Rochester Hills senior Ian Eickholdt. “When working for a large company or a team of designers its crucial that we work together.”

This year marks the tenth year for SAE Baja at Central Michigan University. Students are still passionate about the engineering opportunity. It gives students a chance to apply what they learn in classes and put their knowledge to use in a real world setting.

According to Baja Advisor and Faculty Ben Ritter, alumni from the team have moved on to work at places such as GM, Ford, Chrysler and other big name companies. The organization is about getting experience and networking for the future.

“I would say that the best thing about Baja is that we can just come in after classes and work on race cars,” said Beal City sophomore Carson Salisbury. “Were like a family. It’s cool to travel and come together to learn more about manufacturing and design.”

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