Rowan Engineering Prepares For Mini Baja? Competition
Rowan Engineering Prepares For Mini Baja? Competition
May 4, 2004
Rowan University's Mechanical Engineering Department will send five of its students - A.J. Woodburn, 21, from Gibbsboro; Terry Lott, 21, from Deptford; Tim Vaughn, 22, from Berlin; Monica Mikulak, 21, from Iselin; and Bryan Minue, 21, from Manchester - to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Midwest Mini Baja? competition in Milwaukee, Wisc., from June 3-6.
Mini Baja? holds three regional competitions on an annual basis to allow engineering students from around the world to gain knowledge of teamwork, design, promotion and accounting. The teams get together to build a fully operational vehicle that is put to the test in a grueling three-day event. To keep the competition even, each team is given a 10-horsepower Intek Model 20 engine before it begins the design of its vehicle.
From there, the teams have full control over the creativity and design of the car. Just like any business that is in the market for producing a vehicle, the teams must budget and fundraise to determine the extent that they can build their vehicle. Once the vehicle is operational, the teams will spend numerous hours testing their Mini Baja? in preparation for the endurance race.
Rowan returns to the competition in 2004 after becoming one of six first-timers to qualify for the endurance race last year. The Midwest field typically hosts between 125-130 teams.
'We are looking to build on our performance from last year,' noted Woodburn, the team's leader. 'We learned a lot from competing last year.'
The competition is broken up into two categories worth a total of 1,000 points. During the first portion of the competition teams can receive 300 points. Teams earn 100 points for their design report, 150 points during the evaluation stage and 50 points for their cost report. The final 700 points comes from the motorized events. The Midwest competition provides 300 points for speed, power and suspension. The final 400 points are gained on the track during the endurance race. The winner of the race is the team that finishes the most laps during the four-hour time limit.
Following the event, just like a NASCAR race, the car is then stripped and tested to make sure that the teams did not alter their vehicle outside the legal requirements.
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Mini Baja? holds three regional competitions on an annual basis to allow engineering students from around the world to gain knowledge of teamwork, design, promotion and accounting. The teams get together to build a fully operational vehicle that is put to the test in a grueling three-day event. To keep the competition even, each team is given a 10-horsepower Intek Model 20 engine before it begins the design of its vehicle.
From there, the teams have full control over the creativity and design of the car. Just like any business that is in the market for producing a vehicle, the teams must budget and fundraise to determine the extent that they can build their vehicle. Once the vehicle is operational, the teams will spend numerous hours testing their Mini Baja? in preparation for the endurance race.
Rowan returns to the competition in 2004 after becoming one of six first-timers to qualify for the endurance race last year. The Midwest field typically hosts between 125-130 teams.
'We are looking to build on our performance from last year,' noted Woodburn, the team's leader. 'We learned a lot from competing last year.'
The competition is broken up into two categories worth a total of 1,000 points. During the first portion of the competition teams can receive 300 points. Teams earn 100 points for their design report, 150 points during the evaluation stage and 50 points for their cost report. The final 700 points comes from the motorized events. The Midwest competition provides 300 points for speed, power and suspension. The final 400 points are gained on the track during the endurance race. The winner of the race is the team that finishes the most laps during the four-hour time limit.
Following the event, just like a NASCAR race, the car is then stripped and tested to make sure that the teams did not alter their vehicle outside the legal requirements.
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