Klamath Falls, Oregon – Nineteen Oregon Tech students put months of design, fabrication and testing to the proof in Washougal, Washington, where their Baja Racing car battled rough terrain, steep climbs and a demanding four-hour endurance race during the Baja Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Oregon competition.
The event, held May 7-10, brought together 70 college teams from the United States, Canada and Mexico for three days of engineering challenges. For Oregon Tech, the strongest result came in the endurance race, where the team finished 13th after competing on an extreme off-road course against the full field of vehicles.
The showing marked a strong performance for the Oregon Tech Baja Racing team, which also placed in the top half of the rankings in the hill climb and rock crawl events. The team was made up of Aidan Pearson, Allison Wheeler, Andrew Burgoyne, Anthony Jauregui, Connor Endacott, Dylan Bonfield, Eli Stevens, Garrett Sutherland, Hunter Hosier, Isaac Pinkham, Jarrett Dressell, Luke Silvey, Marshal Bixler, Matthew Haines, Orion Skinner, Owen Haugh, Raymond Loby, Stephen Mccamment and Trenton Morgan.
Baja SAE is not only a race. It is a full test of engineering judgment, teamwork and real-world problem solving. Teams must go through static events such as engineering design, inspections and presentations before moving into dynamic events that measure acceleration, braking, maneuverability, hill climbing and endurance.
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For Oregon Tech, the competition also reflected a yearlong cycle of building from the ground up. Each year, Baja students create a new off-road vehicle from scratch. Sometimes they carry lessons forward from the previous season. Other times, they test new ideas through their own mechanical engineering skills, fabrication methods and hands-on problem solving.
Oregon Tech Racing advisor Cliff Stover, a Professor of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and Technology, has been involved in Formula and Baja SAE for more than 30 years.
“SAE is by far the largest engineering design competition on the planet,” Stover said.
“Students must cover a wide range of disciplines and be able to competently present and compete with a vehicle that has been built from the ground up in less than a year. This international competition encompasses all levels of engineering, management, business, marketing and hands-on design, fabrication, and testing of real-world projects.”
Dr. Neslihan Alp, Dean of the College of Engineering, Technology, and Management, praised the students and their advisor after the competition.
“I am truly proud of our Oregon Tech Racing Baja students for their impressive performance and strong teamwork,” Alp said. “They represented Oregon Tech with distinction, and I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Professor Stover for his outstanding mentorship and commitment to the team.”
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