About Baja SAE
A collegiate design competition run by SAE International. Every team gets the same engine and one year to design, build, and race a single-seat off-road vehicle against a few hundred other schools.
The same engine for everyone
Every car in the series runs an identical 10 hp Briggs & Stratton engine. No team can buy its way to more power, so the entire margin is in the engineering: how light you build the frame, how well the suspension works, how you gear the drivetrain, and whether the whole thing survives four hours of abuse.
How teams are scored
Static events
Judged in the paddock, before anything races.
- Technical inspection — the car is checked against the rulebook. Fail, and you do not run.
- Design — you defend your engineering decisions to judges who work in industry.
- Cost — a full bill of materials and manufacturing cost, documented and defended.
- Sales presentation — you pitch the vehicle to judges playing the role of a manufacturer.
Dynamic events
Run on dirt, and where most of the points are.
- Acceleration — a straight-line sprint from a standing start.
- Maneuverability — a tight timed course of gates and obstacles.
- Hill climb or sled pull — a test of traction and gearing.
- Suspension & traction — rocks, logs, and terrain meant to break cars.
- Endurance — four hours, wheel to wheel, on a rough course. The event that decides the weekend.
Baja SAE is a program of SAE International. Rules, competition dates, and results all live on the official site. Visit bajasae.net →