June 7, 1999

Wolfpack Mini Baja Car Places High in Competition

Mini Baja team members made last-minute adjustments, and driver, Julian Lamb, tested the off-road vehicle before packing it up and heading for the 1999 Midwest Mini Baja competition held near Dayton, Ohio, held June 5 and 6. The team competed with entries from other university teams in the national event sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Engineering and design students at NC State University are celebrating this week following a very successful showing at the Midwest Mini Baja competition held near Dayton, Ohio, on June 4, 5 and 6.

The students designed and built a Mini Baja car for the competition, creating a vehicle that placed first in five of the twelve categories of the competition, including first in top speed, acceleration, hill climbing, appearance, and ergonomics. The team placed second in structural integrity and serviceability. An unfortunate accident that broke a suspension arm during the endurance race forced the team out of first place for the overall points. The Wolfpack team ended the weekend in fifteenth place overall out of a field of 73 competitors.

The team has parlayed their competition successes into opportunities for graduate research and internships with industry. Penske Auto Racing South and Michelin Tire Company have supported research projects conducted by team members. Other members have gained valuable work experience from internships with Penske. The companies became interested in the students following their success with the 1997-98 vehicle, which placed first in several of the divisions in competition last year.

Sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the Midwest competition comprises 13 judging divisions--acceleration, maneuverability, top speed, braking, ride and handling, tractor pull, hill climb, aesthetics, ergonomics, manufacturability, originality, safety and structural integrity. Each team is judged according to set criteria in the competitions. The endurance race is run in two heats of two to three hours.

"We were going great in the endurance race until we hit the double four-foot jumps," says Jeremy Weitzel, a senior in mechanical engineering and business manager for the team. "We went over the first jump and flipped over the second jump. The crash broke a suspension arm, and we had to pull out of the race. At the time of the accident we were running first in the race. The students were able to weld the arm back together and reenter the race, but we lost more than two hours of racing during the repairs. That hurt us in the overall standings."

Though a lot of fun, participating on the Mini Baja team is also a lot of work. Students often devote as much as 20 hours per week to the project in addition to attending classes and doing homework. The project has its benefits, however. Working on the team gives students an edge in the job market after graduation. The automotive industry likes to have employees who are already familiar with working on team projects, says Julian Lamb, a recent mechanical engineering graduate and team member.

The team members receive some university and department funding, but they are required to raise money to support the bulk of the project.

"The marketing and fundraising aspect is very interesting to me," said Weitzel. "It is a great challenge, and I believe it is a skill that will serve me when I graduate and find a job."

In addition to funding provided by SAE and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, the Mini Baja team received support from MTS Systems, Haulmark, Raleigh Hitch, United Technologies, Kenny Hawkins Automotive, NC Foam Industries, GKN Automotive Inc. (Roxboro Assembly Plant), BGF Industries, Celanese, Gearheads, Topcoat Inc., York Properties and Randy Broach Signs.

"The students have done a great job with this project," said Dr. Eric Klang, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and project adviser. "They come to me with problems sometimes, but for the most part, they have designed and built this Mini Baja vehicle themselves based on what they have learned in the classroom and trial-and-error. They certainly deserve all the credit for their success."

This year's team members are Michael Craft, a mechanical engineering student from Whitsett; Jason Dufilho, a design student from Raleigh; Orgun Guralp, a mechanical engineering student from Raleigh; Fred Huscher, a computer science student from Hendersonville; Aaron Kiefer, a mechanical engineering student from Chapel Hill; Julian Lamb from Apex; John Landrum, a civil engineering student from Liberty; Eric McBride, a mechanical engineering student from Tarboro; Noah McKay, a mechanical engineering student from Denver, N.C.; Ryan Moody, a mechanical engineering student from Asheville; David Motley, a mechanical engineering student from Pfafftown; Jeremy Weitzel from Raleigh; Adam Winton, a mechanical engineering student from Raleigh; Brian Wismann, a design student from Fayetteville; and Chad Zimmer, a mechanical engineering student from Hickory.

Editor's note: A videotape of the race is available as well as color slides. Team members are available to demonstrate the vehicle. The team has a Web site at http://www2.ncsu.edu/eos/info/sae_info/www/motrsprt/.

Media contact: Jennifer Weston, (919) 515-3848, weston@ncsu.edu

Dr. Eric Klang, (919) 515-5943, eric_klang@mmrc.ncsu.edu

Jeremy Weitzel, (919) 577-0444, jgweitze@eos.ncsu.edu

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