RIT’s Mini-Baja Team Defends South African Championship

For the second consecutive year, Rochester Institute of Technology’s mini-Baja team will represent the United States as the only U.S. team competing in the South African Mini Baja. RIT defends its championship at the seventh annual competition, Oct. 25-26 at Gerotek Test Facilities near Pretoria.

RIT is competing in South Africa for the second time. As defending champions, RIT’s racer is designated number one. Fifteen teams will race two dozen cars in the contest, hosted by the University of Pretoria.

The South African competition is the fourth this year for RIT’s team, which captured the Michael Schmidt Award for best overall performance in three national contests last spring.

Mini-baja competitions are highlighted by grueling four-hour endurance races. Also featured are challenges in acceleration, braking, hill climbing, maneuverability, obstacle course, top speed and towing power.

The South African Mini Baja is sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers, Sasol, Briggs & Stratton Corp. and Daimler Chrysler Commercial Vehicle Division.

Note: For more information on RIT’s mini-Baja team, visit: www.rit.edu/~bajawww/home

For more on the South African Mini Baja, visit: www.me.up.ac.za/mini_baja