Contact: Bob Ratliff
MSU's 2001 Mini-Baja entry
A sleek maroon vehicle built from the ground up by Mississippi State University mechanical engineering majors turned some heads, as well as wheels, at the recent Midwest Mini-Baja competition.
The team of future engineers took advantage of their design training and expertise in composite material construction to produce a machine that captured first-place honors for originality at the Society of Automotive Engineers-sponsored event in Troy, Ohio. The MSU vehicle also earned high marks for its pulling ability and for the team's design report.
Overall, the MSU entry finished 13th in a field of 123 competitors that included top engineering schools from throughout the United States, Canada, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. The University of Akron (Ohio) placed first overall.
This year's competition "drew the largest number of participants in the more than 25-year history of Mini-Baja competition," said campus SAE chapter adviser Bill Jones.
"Each year, the Mini-Baja competition challenges students to design a four-wheel, off-road recreational vehicle capable of negotiating rough terrain," the mechanical engineering professor explained. "From the experience, they learn skills that are highly valued by the automotive industry, including project management, teamwork, design and manufacturing."
Nine SAE chapter members worked on the award-winning entry from its initial design to final competition.
Like the other teams, the MSU students worked with identical 8-horsepower engines donated by the Briggs & Stratton Corp. of Milwaukee, Wisc. Around the engine, each group then crafted its individual entry using customized stock parts and parts they designed and manufactured themselves.
Jones said MSU's top score in the originality category resulted from several innovations developed by the students, including a unique cable steering system that eliminates the need for a steering column and gives the driver more leg room.
The judges also were impressed by the gearbox and rear axle housing designed and built by the team members using composite materials fabrication equipment at MSU's Raspet Flight Research Laboratory, the research arm of the aerospace engineering department.
MSU's 2001 Mini-Baja team included graduate students Micael C. Edwards of Clinton and Richard E. Hosch of Meridian; seniors Stephen G. Neese of Laurel, James G. Ragsdale of Newellton, La., Jiann-Cherng Su of Starkville; junior James B. Christian of Booneville; and freshmen Justin J. Varco of Starkville, Charles C. "Trey" Walker of Jackson and William B. Warner of Brandon.
True Temper of Amory, HMC Technology of New Albany, Marine Gears of Greenville, and the MSU College of Engineering's Hearin Enhancement Fund were team sponsors.
Founded in 1905, SAE includes about 80,000 engineers, educators, students, and others in almost 100 countries. The organization promotes automotive engineering standards, professional development and public awareness programs in the areas of vehicle safety and maintenance and energy resource conservation.