Offroad continues to improve in Baja SAE contest

The SDSU entry in Baja SAE continues to score more points in the annual contest overseen by the Society of Automotive Engineers.

This year at Baja SAE Williamsport hosted by Pennsylvania College of Technology at Montgomery, the team earned 360.95 points and placed 47^th overall out of 110 college teams (57^th percentile) from the United States, Brazil and Canada from May 15-19.

Last year the team ranked 49^th out of 86 teams (43^rd percentile) with 311 points.  The 2022 team ranked 56^th out of 90 teams (38^th percentile) with 256 points and in 2021 it ranked 53^rd out of 56 teams (5 percentile) with only 57 points.

The SDSU Desert Hare Offroad team had top 25 performances in maneuverability (24^th), suspension course (23^rd) and hill climb (22^nd). 

“We made 13 laps on the endurance course (14.3 miles) before we ended the race early due to rollover. (No injuries.) We learned a lot, had a lot of fun, and are looking forward to next year,” according to Matthew Anderson, a mechanical engineering lab assistant and treasurer for Desert Hare Offroad.

Baja SAE challenges engineering students to design and build an offroad vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain and, in some competitions, water. Each team’s goal is to design and build a prototype of an all-weather, rugged, single seat offroad vehicle intended for sale to the nonprofessional offroad enthusiast.

This year’s winning entry was from Ecole de Technologie Superieure, a public research university in Montreal.