Record 96 Off-Road Vehicles Entered in SAE's Midwest Mini-Baja(R)
26 May 1998
Record 96 Off-Road Vehicles Entered in SAE's Midwest Mini-Baja(R) WARRENDALE, Pa., May 25 -- A crowded field of 96 off-road
vehicles powered by 8-horsepower Briggs and Stratton engines will compete in
the Midwest Mini-Baja(R) to be held in Waukesha and Lake Mills, Wisconsin
June 5-7.
Due to the large number of entries, the endurance race on Sunday will
have two qualifying heats. A 2-1/2 hour final heat featuring the top 60 teams
from the qualifying events will follow. The endurance competition and the
hill climb will be held at the Aztalan Motocross Track in Lake Mills,
Wisconsin.
In addition to teams from 34 states and two Canadian provinces, the
international competition also features two teams from Brazil, and one each
from Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Mini-Baja Midwest is a student design competition sponsored by the Society
of Automotive Engineers. It demonstrates how well a student-designed and
built off-road vehicle can perform over rough terrain for extended periods of
time.
The event begins Friday with a ride and handling competition for all the
teams at the Waukesha County Expo Center in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
On Saturday, various dynamic and static events can earn as many as
625 points for the participants. The static events will include mechanical
design, safety and cost. Timed dynamic events are acceleration, top speed,
braking, skid pull and maneuverability.
Points for the final day of competition total 265 for a grand total of
890 possible points. In 1997, The University of Akron captured first place
with a total of 675.7 points. Akron is returning to the Midwest Mini-Baja
this year to defend its title.
Mini-Baja Midwest is one of three off-road competitions held by SAE
throughout the country each spring. Mini-Baja West(R) was won this year by
California State University - Los Angeles in El Paso, Texas on April 16-18.
Mini-Baja East(R) was won by Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY at Cookeville,
Tennessee May 14-16
