AU Hosts 2006 Mini Baja East

Auburn students gather after water event Tennessee Tech University took top honors at this year's Society of Automotive Engineers Mini Baja East competition held at Auburn University April 13-15. Clarkson University in New York, and Université de Sherbrooke from Quebec, placed second and third, respectively. Queen's University in Ontario and Auburn University rounded out the top five.

"The competition was a resounding success," said Peter Jones, chief organizer for the event. "We had plenty of talented teams, exceptional volunteers and a great course. We also attracted a lot of spectators and media. Our sponsors helped to ensure that all of our visitors felt welcomed."

Auburn mini baja carCompetition events included design evaluation, log pull, acceleration, land and water maneuverability, and suspension and traction, culminating in a five-hour endurance race on a specially-built 2.1 mile off-road course at the National Center for Asphalt Technology test track facility in nearby Opelika. 

"For the five years I was a member of Auburn's Mini Baja team, I always felt that more could be added to each course we ran," said Darrell Krueger, a 2005 mechanical engineering graduate and now graduate student who was one of the event's organizers. "When we started designing this course, we sent out a call for suggestions from Baja teams across the country.  I really feel like we put together a course that combines the best of what we've seen at past competitions, along with a few surprises." 

Auburn mini baja car"With obstacles such as drop offs, an unimproved railroad crossing and a tree-studded, twisty free-for-all area, this course demanded not only a great car, but a smart driver as well," said Krueger.

More than 60 teams participated in this year's Mini Baja East, providing an excellent opportunity to show off the Auburn campus and community to visitors from across North America.
 
"One of our goals was to increase recognition of the university within the engineering community and expose visiting students to our graduate programs," explains Jones, advisor to the AU Mini-Baja team and faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. 

"We heard numerous compliments on how well things went, and that can only be attributed to the hard work of all the organizers," he continues.  "Hopefully, we can bring the competition back to Auburn in the near future."

Founded in 1976, Mini Baja is an annual SAE student competition to design, build and race a prototype of an off-road, all-terrain vehicle. It consists of East, West and Midwest regional events. Last year, teams from 273 North American colleges competed in SAE Mini Baja events.

To see results, video and photos from the event, please visit the 2006 Mini Baja East Web site.