Zips Baja Racing Team conquers Baja SAE Oregon with engineering excellence
Zips Baja Racing Team members pose at Grand Teton National Park. Pictured left to right: Back row - Hunter Lude, David Scruppi, Alexander Rawson, Colin McConnell, Blayne Bartter, Trent Bolek, Nikolas Kulin and Joseph Wisniewski. Front row - Caleb Malboeuf, Aidan Sullivan, Zane Raymond, Nathan Thompson, Hunter Bonk, Hannah Adams Gemmell, Colton Zanko, Isabella Sandberg, Bridget Green and Chase Lane.
The University of Akron's (UA) Zips Baja Racing Team recently competed at the Baja SAE Oregon competition. Held from May 31 - June 3 in Washougal, Wash., this event brought together 86 teams from universities across the country.
Baja SAE challenges students to design and construct a single-seat, all-terrain sporting vehicle. The objective is to create a prototype that represents a reliable, maintainable, ergonomic and economically feasible production vehicle for the recreational user market. The Zips Baja Racing Team embraced this challenge and worked diligently to bring their innovative ideas to life.
The students demonstrated exceptional teamwork and technical expertise throughout the competition as they designed, engineered, built, tested, promoted and competed with their vehicle, also known as ZB23. The new rules of this year’s competition required every team to have an all-wheel-drive (AWD) or four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicle.
ZB23 after completing the Hill Climb Event in Washougal, Washington.
To meet this requirement, the team utilized UA’s machine shop and sought assistance from knowledgeable UA professors and staff. They successfully designed and manufactured their own powertrain and suspension components in-house, using their resourcefulness in tackling this new aspect of the competition.
The Zips Baja Racing Team's efforts paid off as they achieved commendable results in multiple categories. In the overall standings, they secured an impressive 19th place among the 86 competing teams. The team also featured their vehicle's endurance by finishing in the 15th position in that specific event.
"This competition marked a significant milestone for our Zips Baja Racing Team as they created a completely new concept for their own 4WD vehicle," said Dr. Kai J. Kwon, associate professor of engineering practice and team advisor. "Through this competition, they had the opportunity to verify the excellence of their car, and with the lessons learned and feedback received, they will modify and improve certain parts of the vehicle. We are excited to see their performance at the upcoming competition in September at Nashport, Ohio."
ZB23 competes in the Rock Crawl event at Baja SAE Oregon.
Their vehicle also tested its capabilities in other challenging scenarios. In the rock crawl event, the team secured the 33rd position, while in acceleration and hill climb, they achieved the 22nd and 29th positions, respectively. They received 31st place in the design event, and they demonstrated their cost-effectiveness by securing the 16th position in the cost event.
In addition to competing at Baja SAE Oregon, the team’s road trip across the country provided them with unique opportunities to explore iconic national parks. They spent time sightseeing at Grand Teton National Park and then continued their journey to Yellowstone National Park, where they set up camp for two nights and dedicated a whole day to sightseeing. They visited the iconic Old Faithful geyser, saw the vibrant colors of the Grand Prismatic Spring and explored the Fountain Paint Pots. They also ventured into the landscapes of Norris Geyser Basin, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Yellowstone Lake and Hayden Valley.
The Grand Prismatic Spring was one of many stops the team visited during their sightseeing trip at Yellowstone National Park.
Participating in the Baja SAE Oregon competition has not only allowed the Zips Baja Racing Team to put their knowledge into practice but has also provided them with valuable experiences and memories. The lessons learned and skills acquired during this competition will help shape their future careers in engineering, inspiring them to continue pushing the boundaries of innovation.
RELATED CONTENT:
- Learn more about our Student Design Teams.
- Discover Mechanical Engineering at UA.
Story by CEPS Marketing.
Media contact: Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476 or cboyd@uakron.edu.