Baja SAE tests car, looks forward to competition

Allyson Bennett, News Editor

On February 16, Union College’s SAE Baja team did test runs of the car it has been working on this year. The SAE Baja team is a club that designs, builds, tests, and showcases an off-road race car for a national competition, organized by Baja SAE, against over 100 other colleges and universities. This car will compete at a competition in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in early May. 

“The purpose of the car that we are building is a combination of gaining real-world engineering experience while doing something that we enjoy,” Max Van Dijk ‘24 said. “Most of the members of the club are car enthusiasts and being able to build a race car each year is an incredibly memorable experience.” 

After following safety guidelines, a group of club members drove the car in circles on a muddy road. Despite the car getting stuck in the snow, the car spun around energetically. 

“The purpose of this test day is to provide newer members with a chance to drive the car and get some seat time prior to competition. It also helps to boost motivation to complete the car we are building this year,” Max Van Dijk ‘24 continued.

The club looks forward to competing in the Baja SAE competition Union’s Baja SAE club meets on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. in ISEC 187, and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. in ISEC 220. Students of any major are welcome to join.