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GT Off-Road

Introduction
GT Off-Road (the Mini-Baja Team) is a club for motivated students interested in designing and building a single-seat mini-baja car to race in competitions that adhere to the guidelines set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The SAE mini-baja competition originated in 1976. Since that time, the competition has grown into a premier student engineering design series.

A mini-baja car resembles a dune buggy and is, typically, raced on a dirt trail in competition with other cars, although there is one competition that adds theelement of water. Individual competitions attract more than one hundred teams from the United States, Brazil, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and South Africa.

GT Off-Road is housed in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. A majority of the members are mechanical engineering majors, but the team also attracts students in civil engineering, electrical engineering, industrial design, industrial engineering, and management. The team is open to any interested Georgia Tech student. Since it began in 1999, GT Off-Road has grown from nine members to more than fifty members.

History of GT Off-Road
GT Off-Road participated in its first competition in June 2000 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2001, Georgia Tech was one of six teams to compete in all three U. S. competitions.

• West, the team placed 50th out of 120 teams, 15th in engineering and design, and 21st in maneuverability.
• Midwest, the team placed 50th out of 127 teams, 13th in design and 27th in top speed.
• East, the team placed 25th out of 50 teams, and had 5 top 15 finishes in suspension and traction, acceleration, top speed, braking, and design.

The Team
Each year the mini-baja team is responsible for designing and building a car from scratch, from the transmission to the chassis.

The team is composed of three subteams: drive train, suspension and steering, and chassis. Members with little or no experience in designing and building a car can join the team and learn many skills, including welding, machining, and fabrication techniques.

The team also has a managerial side. Business managers are responsible for the funding and budget of the team. This is a great opportunity for students to gain experience in management and sales.

Design
Club members have similar interests, creating an open environment in which to express and try new ideas. Members are encouraged to do their own research and attempt revolutionary designs.

Team members have the chance to experiment with state-of-the-art engineering computer modeling. Every year the chassis is analyzed on IDEA-S software to assess and optimize the integrity of the design.

Competitions
Five competitions are held annually under the sponsorship of the SAE. In 2002, these will be

East — Morgantown, West Virginia
Midwest — Milwaukee, Wisconsin
West — Logan, Utah
Mini Baja Brazil — Sao Paulo, Brazil
Mini Baja Africa — Pretoria, South Africa

Each competition includes static and dynamic elements.

The main event of each competition is the four-hour endurance race through treacherous terrain that includes hills, trees, mud, and water.

Sponsors
GT Off-Road is responsible for its own funding, which requires the club to acquire sponsorship to complete its task. This involves establishing a budget, creating a sponsorship packet, and marketing the club to companies.

It costs approximately $45,000 a year to design, build, and test a new car; to modify and improve the car used in the national and international competitions; and to participate in four competitions.

GT Off-Road is proudly sponsored by:

• CACI
• Dow Chemical
• General Motors
• George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
• Goodyear
• Honda R&D Americas, Inc.
• Kimberly-Clark
• McMaster-Carr
• Performance Coatings
• Revolution Industries
• Team Industries
• Torrington
• Waring Ahearn Insurance, Inc.

For information, contact

Mr. Danny Dempsey, President
gte720h@prism.gatech.edu
(404) 206-4058

Mr. Ryan Ahearn, Business Manager
gte560j@prism.gatech.edu
(404) 206-4850

Dr. Kenneth Cunefare, Faculty Advisor
email
(404) 894-4726

http://www.cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/minibaja

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