The UMSAE Baja team plans of having a running car by mid January 2012 are looking good and we have now registered at the Baja SAE 2012 Oregon competition as car #38! The team is hard at work designing making improvements on last years car for the 2012 competition in hopes to get some much needed testing hours!

After a successful 2010-2011 season and competition the Baja team has been working extensively to improve last years design. This includes repairs and upgrades to our customly design High-Low-Reverse gear box after some damage in the 2010-2011 season which we hope will lead to it being that much more durable and robust. We are also redesigning our rear suspension and moving from a semi-trailing arm to a dual A-arm in this year's model. As the year progresses we expect our designs to further progress and the building to begin! Stay tuned for more updates!

With the build of the 2011 car well underway the U of M Baja team is making good progress. The entire front half of the frame has been welded and many sub assemblies are well underway. The braking and throttle pedal assembly is ready to be installed. Design and construction of the composite body is underway, new to the 2011 car will be a composite belly pan, with the overall goal to increase the toughness and tear resistance.

The design of a completely custom gearbox and final drive is nearly complete, with construction of parts and components to begin shortly. With many changes to the previous year’s design; the 2011 car features improvements in operator comfort, a custom gearbox with incorporated final drive, high ground clearance suspension, and a new semi trailing arm rear suspension. With the many design improvements, the team is looking to put a car back in the top ten for the Illinois competition.

With the 2010 school year underway the University of Manitoba Baja team is hard at work. Many changes are underway for the 2010/2011 competition year. Every year the UMSAE Baja team strives to improve the car, this year’s design improvements include a custom gearbox, improve reliability of all the systems, and increase operator comfort.From the past years competition the team has found that without knowing exactly what the course will look like can potentially put them at a disadvantage, to solve this problem the team has decided to design a custom gearbox. A close ratio gearbox will allow shifting on the fly between high and low range, as well as reverse. In addition the compact size of the gearbox will allow an increase in size to the operator compartment without increasing the length of the vehicle, giving the driver more room. Improvements in the suspension of the car are to increase ground clearance, and to widen out the front of the chassis to improve operator leg room. With the preliminary frame complete the team can continue to push forward in their design.