SAE:Off-Road Vehicles to Compete in Milwaukee Area

31 May 2000
SAE: 103 Off-Road Vehicles to Compete in Milwaukee Area
    WARRENDALE, Pa., May 31 Over 800 engineering students will
participate in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) Midwest
Mini Baja(R) competition on June 1-4 at Waukesha County Exposition Center in
Waukesha, Wisconsin.  The student participants represent 95 universities from
the U.S., Canada, Brazil and South Korea.  This will be the first time a team
from South Korea has competed in the Midwest Mini Baja(R) competition.
    Midwest Mini Baja(R) challenges students to design a four-wheel, single
seat, off-road recreational vehicle that is capable of negotiating rough
terrain without damage to the vehicle or driver.  Vehicles must be
manufactured for less than US$2,500 in a hypothetical production run.  During
the three-day competition, teams will compete in events such as design, cost,
safety, acceleration, top speed, braking, maneuverability, skid pull, and
endurance.
    The University of Akron, Ohio will attempt to repeat their 1999 victory in
Tipp City, Ohio by successfully competing in the punishing four-hour endurance
event on Sunday, June 4 that will test vehicle design and driver tenacity.
The endurance event will be held at the Aztalan Motocross Track in Lake Mills,
Wisconsin.  The team accumulating the highest total points over the three days
of competition will be recognized as the winner of the 2000 Midwest Mini
Baja(R) competition at the Sunday evening banquet.
    For twenty-five years, Briggs & Stratton has donated engines to each
participating team.  The 2000 competition unveils a brand new 10 horsepower
engine designed for the Mini Baja(R) competition.  Headquartered in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, Briggs & Stratton is the world's largest producer of air cooled
engines for outdoor power equipment.  Since 1976, Briggs & Stratton has
donated more than 2,000 engines for the Mini Baja(R) competition.
    Student competitors experience real-world lessons in project management,
teamwork, communication, design, and manufacturing; skills that are highly
valued by the mobility industry.  Corporate sponsors include: Briggs &
Stratton, Honda R&D Americas, Allison Transmission, Harley-Davidson, and the
SAE Milwaukee Section.
    The Midwest Mini Baja(R) is one of nine annual student design competitions
sponsored by SAE as part of the Collegiate Design Series.  Other competitions
include:
     Clean Snowmobile Challenge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on March 28-31
     Aero Design(R) East in Daytona Beach, Florida on April 7-9
     Mini Baja(R) West in Manhattan, Kansas on April 27-29
     Walking Machine Decathlon(TM) in Fort Collins, Colorado on April 27-29
     Mini Baja(R) East in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on May 11-13
     Formula SAE(R) in Pontiac, Michigan on May 19-23
     Supermileage(R) in Kalamazoo, Michigan on June 3-4
     Aero Design(R) West in Palmdale, California on June 9-11

    For more information about the Midwest Mini Baja(R) competition, visit the
website at http://www.geocities.com/~saemilw/events/minibaja.htm or contact Lori Pail
at SAE International, 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001;
telephone 724-772-8534; fax 724-776-0890; e-mail lorile@sae.org.