After a three-year break, the University of Arkansas reinstated its Baja SAE team last year. The Baja SAE competition, which is sponsored by the SAE International, is a three-day event in which engineering students race off-road vehicles they have designed and built.

SAE International is a professional organization that focuses on aerospace and automotive engineering. According to its website, students in the Baja competition "must function as a team to not only design, build, test, promote, and race a vehicle within the limits of the rules, but also to generate financial support for their project and manage their educational priorities."

In the summer of 2011, the Baja SAE team traveled to Pittsburg, Kan., and Peoria, Ill., to compete in the West and Midwest regional competitions. In Pittsburg, a broken axle ruined their chances to compete, but in Peoria, the team was happy with their performance: Out of 100 vehicles, they placed 22nd in the endurance race and 34th in the overall competition.

“We had a very energetic team of students and they did extremely well,” said Ben Fleming, a research machinist in the College of Engineering and the adviser to the Baja SAE team. Fleming has been involved with  the Arkansas team through 17 competitions.

During the competition, the student teams are first judged on the safety and appearance of their vehicles, and they make a presentation of their vehicle design. On the second day of the competition, the vehicles are evaluated in a series of dynamic tests, such as acceleration and maneuverability. A good performance on these tests earns the vehicle an advantageous position in the race.

On the third day, the vehicles race for four hours over rough terrain. The track features obstacles including tree trunks laid at random intervals across the track, deep ditches, mud holes and steep inclines are common. The team that completes the most laps in the four-hour time limit wins the endurance test.

Fleming explained that the vehicles often have trouble staying right-side-up during the endurance race. “They go airborne and land,” he said. “Cars get flipped end over end. They roll over.”

Throughout all this, the drivers are protected by what Fleming describes as “brutal” safety inspections. All the vehicles must have fire extinguishers and emergency shut-off switches. Roll cages must meet high standards for strength, and the drivers wear arm restraints to make sure their arms stay safely within the vehicle.

Fleming hopes for even better results at next year’s Baja SAE competition. “We learned a tremendous amount in these events,” said Fleming. “I think we should do extremely well next year.”