University from Brazil Captures Baja Championship; Participants Give Back

Nearly 3,000 pounds of food was donated to Foodlink during the international competition

A. Sue Weisler

A driver from Lawrence Technological University, in Southfield, Mich., maneuvers the course during the 2007 Baja SAE Rochester World Challenge, hosted by RIT June 7-10 at Hogback Hill Motocross Track in Palmyra. More than 140 teams from around the world participated.

Vehicles flipped, metal was twisted and endurance was tested. And when it was all over, Centro Universitario Da FEI, a Brazilian university, won the 2007 Baja SAE Rochester World Challenge that was hosted by RIT June 7-10.

FEI emerged as the top team from a field of 141 based on each team’s combined performance in the technical portion of the competition with their results in the competition’s dynamic events—hill climb, acceleration, maneuverability, traction and suspension, and endurance.

It was the second time RIT hosted the competition, but this year’s field was twice the size of the event that was hosted in 2005.

“The entire event was an enormous success,” says RIT’s Marty Gordon, a mechanical engineering technology professor and the organizer of the competition. “A dedicated team of volunteers, which included faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the RIT Baja team, spent countless hours making it all happen.”

RIT, which entered two vehicles in the competition, finished in 21st and 44th places.

The real winner of the competition, however, was the Greater Rochester community. Organizers asked each participant to donate three pounds of food to Foodlink. Nearly 3,000 pounds of food was collected during the event.

Selected results from the competition can be found below. For complete results, visit the RIT Baja news website.

Overall
1. Centro Universitario Da FEI (Brazil) 936.61
2. Universite de Sherbrooke (Canada) 918.48
3. Tennessee Tech University (USA) 885.86.
Rochester area participants
21. RIT No. 1 808.08
44. RIT No. 2 701.42
No. 98 University of Rochester 347.91
No. 115 Monroe Community College 227.38.

Endurance
1. Sherbrooke 55
2. SUNY Buffalo (USA) 55
3. Tennessee Tech 55
Rochester area participants
20. RIT No. 1 50
47. RIT No. 2 42
90. UR 16
101. MCC 10.

Design
1. Oregon State University (USA) 174
2. Sherbrooke 171
3. Ecole De Technologie Superieure (Canada) 170
Rochester area participants
14. RIT No. 1 154
52. RIT No. 2 129
112. UR 89
125. MCC 32

 


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