Baja SAE's Historic 7th Place Endurance Finish
Engineering students from across the globe gathered in Arizona for Baja SAE, a rigorous competition where teams race self-built off-road vehicles through a series of technical trials and one of the most demanding endurance races in collegiate motorsports.
The 24 seniors and 10 club members of the Oregon Tech Baja team began constructing their vehicle in the fall, completely from scratch. Using a combination of lessons learned from the previous year’s team and their own unique perspectives and ideas, the team spent several months putting together the vehicle. Along the way, they experienced many roadblocks, dealing with broken parts and troubleshooting issues. But each time, they overcame these challenges by figuring out what went wrong and learning how to avoid them once they were in the real competition.
Oregon Tech Racing Advisor and Professor of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and Technology, Cliff Stover, believes that the most important way to enhance student education is to emphasize hands-on learning, with the process of building and testing a vehicle from the ground up. “These projects not only strengthen the students’ engineering design and analysis skills, but they are also a great way to work in a real-world team environment and to satisfy their senior design requirements. [...] The students function as a team to promote, design, build, test, and race these vehicles within the scope of the rules provided by SAE.”
Not only are students busy building the vehicle, but they also lead annual fundraising efforts, seeking support from donors to cover transportation, lodging, and competition entry fees. Thanks to the generous support of donors, they were able to load up their custom-built vehicle and make the long drive to Arizona for their first competition in 2025.
What they found when they arrived was more challenging than expected. Teams only get to see the course for the first time upon arrival, and this year’s track was especially bumpy, unpredictable, and demanding.
Over three intense days, they competed in a series of static events – including design, safety, and cost – and dynamic events – including acceleration braking, maneuverability, and a hill climb. But it was the four-hour endurance race, where the team raced against teams from across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, that proved to be the defining moment. Despite the heat and rough terrain, Oregon Tech placed 7th in endurance, the highest finish in team history, and 17th overall out of 71 teams.
As Oregon Tech continues to invest in hands-on learning and real-world application, the Baja team’s success shows that by giving students the tools and support to succeed, they build confidence, careers, and connections that last far beyond graduation.
“Baja SAE at Oregon Tech is what brought me to Oregon Tech. It has helped me grow as a student and has taught me skills that I would not have learned anywhere else.”
-Matthew Haines ‘26, Co-captain
Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering
