Student members work together to design, build, test, promote, and race a rugged, single seat, off-road vehicle. Its intended market is the non-professional weekend off-road enthusiast. The vehicle must be safe, attractive, easily transported and maintained, and fun to drive. There are strict rules that govern the safety and design of these vehicles; thus preparing the team for the professional wo
rld where most operations are required to meet or exceed certain requirements. Throughout the fall and spring semesters, students spend their free time working together to design and fabricate a fully operational off-road buggy before the competitions. SAE sponsors three competitions every year that are held in late spring or early summer. The three competitions are called the East, Midwest, & West competitions, each of which is hosted at a different university. At competition, the buggy is tested and judged in several events such as design and safety, acceleration, braking, maneuverability, sled pull, hill climb, suspension and traction, and a grand finale four-hour endurance race. The results from each event are recorded and scored and an overall winner is announced. CARDINAL RACING
Our team consists of 12 seniors from the Mechanical Engineering Department from the College of Engineering at Lamar University. Many of us are member of the Lamar chapters of the Society of Automotive Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and Society of Physics Students. We hope to continue off of the success of the class before us who were the first group in years to compete with this project. We are eager to represent our department, our university, and our sponsors at the 2017 Baja SAE competition. Baja SAE gives us the unique opportunity to solve real-world engineering applications while developing teamwork, communication, and leadership skills before entering the workforce. Led solely by students we will be counted on to design, machine, fabricate, and finance our Mini Baja vehicle. Taking our education outside of the classroom promotes teamwork and experience that cannot be gained otherwise.