U of W-Madison Wins SAE Off-Road Collegiate Competition
17 June 2000
WARRENDALE, Pa. - The University of Wisconsin at Madison (UWM) maneuvered
through the mud-covered endurance track to win the Society of Automotive
Engineers (SAE International) 2000 Midwest Mini Baja(R) competition held on
June 1-4. Engineering students from 92 teams represented schools from the
U.S., Canada, Brazil, and South Korea that competed against one another during
three days of vehicle testing.
UWM Car #5 won the endurance event on the last day of competition by
completing 12 laps that gave them first place for the overall event by
accumulating 718.14 points. Finishing in second with 677.50 points was the
Canadian team Ecole de technologie superieure Car #3 from Montreal, Quebec.
Following in a very close third was North Carolina A&T State University Car
#31 from Greensboro with 674.98 points.
By competing in the Midwest Mini Baja(R), students are challenged to
design a four-wheel, single seat, off-road recreational vehicle that is
capable of negotiating rough terrain without damage to the vehicle or driver.
Vehicles must be manufactured for less than $2,500 U.S. dollars in a
hypothetical production run. During the three-day competition, teams competed
in events such as design, cost, safety, acceleration, top speed, braking,
maneuverability, skid pull, and endurance.
For twenty-five years, Briggs & Stratton has donated engines to each
participating team. The 2000 competition unveiled a brand new 10 horsepower
engine designed for the Mini Baja(R) competition. Since 1976, Briggs &
Stratton has donated more than 2,000 engines for the Mini Baja(R) competition.
Corporate sponsors included: Briggs & Stratton, Honda R&D Americas,
Allison Transmission, Harley-Davidson, and the SAE Milwaukee Section.
The top ten teams for the Midwest Mini Baja(R) competition are:
1. University of Wisconsin-Madison #5 718.14
2. Ecole de technologie superieure #3 677.50
3. North Carolina A&T State University #31 674.98
4. Rochester Institute of Technology #45 668.81
5. Virginia Tech #77 666.08
6. University of Wisconsin-Madison #89 658.59
7. Purdue University-West Lafayette #44 646.77
8. University of Louisville #56 646.09
9. Auburn University #8 645.89
10. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte #98 642.45
The Midwest Mini Baja(R) is one of nine annual student design competitions
sponsored by SAE as part of the Collegiate Design Series. Other competitions
include:
Clean Snowmobile Challenge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on March 28-31
Aero Design(R) East in Daytona Beach, Florida on April 7-9
Mini Baja(R) West in Manhattan, Kansas on April 27-29
Walking Machine Decathlon(TM) in Fort Collins, Colorado on April 27-29
Mini Baja(R) East in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on May 11-13
Formula SAE(R) in Pontiac, Michigan on May 19-23
Supermileage(R) in Kalamazoo, Michigan on June 3-4
Aero Design(R) West in Palmdale, California on June 9-11
For more information about the Midwest Mini Baja(R) competition, visit the
website at http://www.geocities.com/~saemilw/events/minibaja.htm or contact Lori Pail
at SAE International, 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001;
telephone 724-772-8534; fax 724-776-0890; e-mail lorile@sae.org.
