SAE Baja Club hosts auto show to raise funds ahead of upcoming competition

Montana Technological University’s SAE Baja Club hosted an auto show on April 26 to raise funds for upcoming competition in Mechanicsville, Maryland and visibility for prospective club members.

The SAE Baja Club builds an off-road vehicle from scratch every year. It is an endeavor that takes 500-600 hours to complete. The vehicle is then taken to competition where students put the vehicle through a number of challenges. This year’s competition will be held on June 12-15.

“Big things we're focusing on are improving our turning radius and weight savings. We are planning to cut about 100 pounds or so from our previous weight,” mechanical engineering Francis Rogers of Wyoming said. “We're hoping to get upper speeds of like 30-35 mph this year, which is about 10 mph faster than the last one.”

Duncan Sterk, from Washington State worked on the project as part of his senior design project.

“It’s fun, but it is a lot of work,” he said.

It also takes significant funding to compete. Four students will travel to competition this summer, with the off-road vehicle hauled via trailer.

“It’s costly to go to competition every year,” said Adam Taylor, a mechanical engineering sophomore from Arizona.

While Nucor Corporation has sponsored some of the team’s expenses, the costs of registration and building the buggy are high. It costs $1,700 just to register.

Alecia Gonzales, a metallurgical engineering sophomore from Three Forks, helped organize the event with Taylor.

“We came up with the idea of a car show about a month ago and it's just really a good way to get involved with the community,” Gonzales said. “We wanted people to know who we are and know that we mean business. We wanted to make the Baja Club a part of a community.”

The team was happy to see some Montana Tech freshman and local community members at the car show, which included nearly two dozen vehicles of all different kinds.

The team is still working on finishing this year’s buggy, and after it is finished the team will drive it around near campus to test it, and improve it before competition. The club is already thinking about recruitment for next year as well. Gonzales stresses the club is for anyone who wants to contribute in a meaningful way.

“Just because Baja is a car club doesn't mean you have to be a car person,” Gonzales said. I'm not a car person. I'm not in the shop ever. I like to be in the leadership positions. Just because