UA Baja off-road race team en route to Alabama for first competition of year
The 2014-15 Zips Baja Race team is days away from their first competition of the year, and
the off-road racing vehicle designed and built by the team is ready to be put to the test. The team, led by mechanical engineering senior Ryan Timura, began “kicking the tires” over the weekend in order to break in and tune the custom gear box and the air shocks, both new to the vehicle this year.
“This is the earliest in the season we’ve competed,” says Timura. “We’ve finished the vehicle and done testing, and now it’s time to put it to the ultimate test at SAE Auburn.”
The true test of quality comes in the form of a four-hour endurance race. Approximately 80 to 90 vehicles run the 1.5-mile track, simultaneously navigating through rugged terrain in the form of dirt mounds, piles of rocks and logs, and even cliffs. The goal of the competition is to finish with the highest number of laps at the end of four hours.
Updates to the vehicle
This year’s mini Baja weighs 80 pounds less than the previous year’s vehicle and weighs in at approximately 380 pounds. Under the direction of faculty advisor Dr. Richard Gross, associate professor of mechanical engineering, the team started frame fabrication in November 2014.
The use of air shocks rather than coilovers helped reduce weight and allows the team to change the spring rate during testing. Another source of weight reduction is the retooled front end of the vehicle. The team overhauled the steering to lessen the force on the steering and hopefully avoid significant damage during the endurance race.
They’ve also improved drivetrain efficiency by using a straight gear box with continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Team leaders on this year’s team include:
- Philip Bennett, braking;
- Dalton Hayes, frame design;
- Justin Makosky, steering;
- Eric Payne, drive train; and
- Ryan Timura, suspension design and team captain.
Seventeen team members will travel to Alabama to compete in Baja SAE Auburn on April 9-12, 2015. The Zips team is one of about 100 teams competing.
For more details and photos about the team, visit http://zipsbaja.com/