The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Mini Baja Midwest competition challenges engineering students to design and build an all-terrain dune buggy (powered by a Briggs and Stratton engine) that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain. The vehicle competes in categories such as acceleration, hill climb, and sled pull, while appearance, structural design, and safety are also judged.
Continuous improvement is the theme for the SAE Mini Baja Team at Cedarville University. A completely new car was designed and built for the 2000 competition held in Milwaukee, Wis. Competing against 106 entries from as far away as North Korea, Cedarville took 3rd place in the braking event and 2nd place in the one-hour endurance heat. These accomplishments, along with high scores for the other qualifying events, put Cedarville in the front of the pack of the remaining 62 cars for the final three-hour endurance event. However, a drive chain failure during the final endurance event prevented the car from completing the race.
The 2001 team designed and built a new vehicle that incorporated some improvements based upon lessons learned from the previous years. Cedarville ranked first overall for the ride and handling event. The car performed extremely well during the three-hour endurance race. With just a half hour remaining, another car crashed into the front wheel of Cedarville's car and broke their steering linkage.
The 2003 team experienced a similar fate at their competition--- performing well in many of the events which led up to the four-hour endurance race. But then the sky opened up and released a deluge of rain which washed out the final day of the competition. When the points were totaled, Cedarville's entry finished near the middle of the pack.