The Society of Automotive Engineers, hosts a mini Baja competion that allows students to compete on an intercollegiate level by building a prototype Baja car for a fictitious company. The competition is designed to create an environment where the competing students have to engage in real-world engineering to create a car that is capable of completing the scheduled events and to be competitive against the other entries. Entries will be judged on design, safety, cost, sales presentation, maneuverability, acceleration, a hill climb, and a four-hour endurance race. A combined score for these events will determine the overall winner.

Cal Poly Pomona has been competing in the SAE Mini Baja competition for more than a decade and a half and has always been very competitive. This competition gives the students of Cal Poly a venue to apply the engineering that they have been learning throughout the progression of their majors. While the club participation usually consists of mechanical engineers or engineering technology it is not limited to them; jobs can be found for most majors from finances for business majors to sales report presentation for graphic design, or just about anyone can participate in helping with fabrication of parts. Competition this year will occur in Rapid City, South Dakota for the mini Baja west competition. This year’s team is composed of 3 upper division members and another 13 lower division members.