BAJA SAE

Baja SAE® consists of competitions that simulate real-world engineering design projects and their related challenges. Engineering students are tasked to design and build an off-road vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain. Each team's goal is to design and build a single-seat, all-terrain, sporting vehicle whose structure contains the driver. The vehicle is to be a prototype for a reliable, maintainable, ergonomic, and economic production vehicle which serves a recreational user market. The object of the competition is to provide SAE student members with a challenging project that involves the design, planning and manufacturing tasks found when introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market. Teams compete against one another to have their design accepted for manufacture by a fictitious firm. Students must function as a team to not only design, build, test, promote, and race a vehicle within the limits of the rules, but also to generate financial support for their project and manage their educational priorities. All vehicles are powered by a ten-horsepower Intek Model 19 engine donated by Briggs & Stratton Corporation. For over fourty years, the generosity of Briggs & Stratton has enabled SAE to provide each team with a dependable engine free of charge. Use of the same engine by all the teams creates a more challenging engineering design test.

SERIES NEWSFEED

Be on the Highlight Video 
7/17/2025  Baja SAE Maryland

Share your GoPro Footage for the highlight video!

New Podcast Episode: Motorsports to Mobility: Inside Oshkosh and Pratt Miller’s Tech Evolution 
7/17/2025  Baja SAE Series

This episode explores how Pratt Miller and Oshkosh Corporation are translating motorsports technology into life-saving vehicles, launching EVs, and inspiring the next generation of engineers through SAE competitions.

July 2025 CDS Action News Update 
7/10/2025  Baja SAE Series

Watch the Season Finale of CDS Action News

Baja SAE® Mentorship Program 
7/9/2025  Baja SAE Series

Sign up to be apart of the new Baja SAE® Mentorship Program.

Last Chance! 2025 Women in Engineering Awards 
7/7/2025  Baja SAE Series

Know a trailblazer? Nominate her now! Applications due July 22.