By Will Scott
The Mini Baja team is preparing to compete in the Mini Baja East competition on April 12-15 in Ocala, Fla. However, one minor problem still remains: the team still needs to finish the car. This task has proved to be significant as the team is now racing the clock to have the vehicle ready on time.
The Mini Baja team designs, builds and races a miniature off-road car that is similar to rock crawlers and the larger version of Baja. The team consists mainly of, but is not restricted to, engineers and is currently 12 members deep.
“One of the main problems that we have had is to keep generating new blood,” said Scott Cambron, a mechanical engineering doctoral student.
The team has entered competitions all over the country, traveling from Oregon to Ohio, and they have fared well. In 2005, they had their best result ever, finishing ninth at the Baja 100 competition in Green Valley, Ariz.
Before that, the team proved highly capable, finishing as high as 17th in 2004 and 16th in 2003. However, with the arriving competition, there is much excitement and buzz in the air as the team looks to improve on those results.
The competition is a three-day event, with static events on the first day, dynamic events on the second and the endurance event on the last. The static events will consist of inspection and judging a car based on design and presentation. The dynamic events bring the first actual use of the cars, as they will compete in different events testing features of the car like mobility, maneuverability, acceleration, traction and strength.
The final, and probably most important part of the competition, happens on the last day: the endurance test. In the past it has consisted of a head-to-head race lasting over four hours long. The car will be subjected to all mother nature can give it so the car must withstand the elements to finish the race. A non-finish results in an automatic disqualification for the event and discounts the other two events.
“The endurance day is the climax of the competition. How you finish in that event is basically how you finish in the competition,” said Cambron.
As if these events and preparation were not enough, the team will have to battle a whole new element this time around, water. Not only does the car have to battle rocks, climb hills and dodge trees, it now has to be able to float and move in water. So the team of engineers has been hard at work figuring out how to make the car float, and how to make it move.
“We didn’t know what to do at first,” said Ben Myser, a sophomore mechanical engineering major. “After a while we thought about it and we thought foam!”
So the team designed a foam exterior and cut it out of two large blocks of styrofoam. The new body will be placed around the base of the car, thus keeping it afloat when the car has to make the watery plunge. The car will then use its tires and wheel fenders to direct the water in the direction they want to move.
Many formidable tasks remain for the Baja crew and time is of the essence. The next week will be pivotal.
