SAE Milwaukee Section Hosts 2002 SAE Midwest Mini Baja

WAUKESHA, Wis., May 30 -- Over 100 college teams are preparing to test their engineering and mechanical skills at the 2002 SAE Midwest Mini Baja, hosted by the Milwaukee Section of SAE International. The competition will be held May 31st-June 2nd, 2002 in Waukesha and Lake Mills, Wisconsin.

This is the third of three such competitions, sponsored by SAE International, in North America, 2002. It is designed to provide collegiate engineering students with real world challenges by designing, building, demonstrating, and racing an off road (dune-buggy type) vehicle. Each team uses their own design, a 10-horsepower engine, donated by Briggs and Stratton Motorsports and must meet strict safety requirements.

The static events on Friday, May 31st will place the vehicles on display at the Waukesha County Exposition Center from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM. The vehicle display is open to the public. Each vehicle will undergo safety inspection. The student teams will also be making oral presentations (closed to the public).

The dynamic events begin on Saturday, June 1st, also at the Waukesha County Exposition Center. These, spectator worthy, trials consist of a series of simultaneous tests of vehicle maneuverability, acceleration, braking, and other factors that are timed/measured and entered into a pointing system. Events are scheduled to begin at 8:30 AM and will conclude around 6 PM.

The competition will conclude on Sunday, June 2nd at the Aztalan Motocross Track in Lake Mills WI. Teams will participate in one of two one-hour "heat races", beginning at 9:00, which will ultimately test their vehicles' durability and design on rugged terrain. The best performers in these preliminary events will participate in the ultimate, 3-hour, endurance event on the same track.

For additional information, check out the event website at http://www.milwaukeesae.org.