All-terrain ascendancy
Published 07.26.2022
Penn College's winning entry in mid-May's international Baja SAE competition at Cookville, Tennessee, figures prominently in a YouTube video posted by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The video features footage of the Penn College vehicle in action, as well as comments from the team's two drivers: Tyler J. Bandle, of Slatington, and Dakota C. Harrison, of Lewisberry. "It is the time of your life. It'll stick with you forever." Bandle says during a post-race interview. "This experience has been absolutely transformative for me," adds Harrison, who also served as club vice president. "I would not be the engineer, the machinist or the man I am today without this program." The victory at Tennessee Tech was the first of two endurance wins for the college's Baja SAE team. Three weeks later, Bandle and Harrison repeated the feat against another field of prestigious competitors in Palmyra, New York. Attendance at the Tennessee event prevented a number of team members (the co-drivers included) from participating in Spring Commencement exercises; they will be among the classmates taking part in the Aug. 6 ceremony at the Community Arts Center.