Baja SAE Team

Baja SAE challenges university students to design and build an off-road vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain. As future engineers, students work together to discover and resolve technical challenges in design, testing, and manufacturing. They must also work as a team to handle business issues, like marketing and fundraising.

Union University's inaugural Baja SAE team celebrated the completion of their first off-road vehicle in November 2024. The completion of this first challenge, along with a trip to Michigan to observe a Baja competition firsthand, left them eager and full of ideas as they began their second season.

Update:

On October 1 the team packed up their improved design and drove to Gray Court, South Carolina to participate in their first international Baja SAE competition. Before a vehicle is allowed to compete, it must pass a rigorous inspection. The team worked tirelessly for the first two-and-a-half days to ensure their vehicle could pass. When they were finally given the all-clear, they were able to test the limits of their vehicle on a grueling off-road circuit, racing against other collegiate teams from around the country and the world. After an hour on this circuit, the vehicle found its limit when one of the welds they had made early in their design process failed. Having now succeeded in getting a vehicle to the competition, the team has already began planning Version 2.0 and is excited about the future of Baja SAE at Union. If you are interested in joining or finding out more about the Baja SAE team, contact Dr. Georg Pingen.