Penn College hosts Baja SAE

About 1,800 enterprising students from 102 colleges in more than 30 states, Brazil and Canada tested their engineering prowess at Baja SAE Williamsport, an action-packed, four-day event hosted by Pennsylvania College of Technology in May.

The teams spent months designing, manufacturing and building single-seat, all-terrain cars. Following two days of technical inspections and presentations, teams tested their handiwork in a series of challenges: acceleration, hill climb, maneuverability, suspension and traction, and a four-hour endurance race.

SAE International is a global association of engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. Baja SAE is one of four Collegiate Design Series programs supported by SAE’s charitable arm, the SAE Foundation.

From the moment Penn College was selected to host Baja SAE Williamsport, it was all hands on deck to transform the college’s 125-acre Heavy Construction Equipment Operations Site from a wide-open training space to the competition playground.

Faculty, staff, students and corporate partners cleared trees, excavated and spread shale to create parking areas, and formed challenging courses for the various dynamic events. Along the way, they constructed jumps, bridges, banked turns and multiple obstacles.

Here’s how some of the prep work adds up:

• Shale excavated = 14,000 tons
• Shale spread = 7.42 acres
• Mulch = 97 tons
• Silt socks = 3,600 feet
• Endurance course = 1.1 miles

For the 15th time in its 19-year history, the Penn College team registered a top-10 finish in the endurance race, finishing fourth at Baja SAE Williamsport. The Wildcats finished 10th overall, including fourth place on the carbusting suspension and traction course and eighth in maneuverability.

All teams are required to fabricate their own chassis. Penn College’s students design and manufacture about 95% of their car’s parts.

The team – typically made up of 10-15 students from a variety of majors – dedicates countless hours to the effort.

“I think this month (April), I made it home before midnight four or five times. It takes a lot,” said team member Casey B. Campbell. “But it’s our choice to be here. There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. We come here on Saturday and Sunday because we want to, not because we have to.”

“When I see my parts that I designed working on the car, it makes all the hassle worth it,” he added.

In addition to technical inspections, design judging, business presentations and cost reports:

Acceleration: From a standing start, how fast the car can complete a 150-foot-long straight and level course.

Hill climb: How fast the car can complete a course consisting of, at minimum, a 40-degree slope. The event tests the car’s low-speed traction. If the car can’t finish, its distance traveled is measured.

Maneuverability: How fast the car can complete a twisting course, requiring turning and acceleration/braking. It tests the car’s high- and low-speed handling over relatively gentle terrain. If the car misses a gate, the run is invalidated.

Suspension: How fast the car can complete a rugged course consisting of inclines, rocks and other obstacles. It tests the car’s suspension, ground clearance and traction. If the vehicle fails to finish, the distance traveled is measured.

Endurance: The ultimate test of the car’s durability and performance. The 1.1-mile track consists of hills, gullies, tight turns and numerous obstacles. The winner is determined by the number of laps completed in four hours. At Baja SAE Williamsport, 46 of the 89 teams that began the endurance race failed to complete at least 20 laps. Penn College registered 51 laps in finishing fourth.