ABOUT LONGHORN BAJA
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
Baja SAE is an international collegiate design competition organized by SAE International where teams of mechanical and interdisciplinary engineering students design, build, and race a prototype single-seat off-road vehicle capable of withstanding rugged terrain and harsh conditions.
The competition tests both technical and business skills through static events such as technical inspections, cost reports, design and sales presentations, and dynamic events like acceleration, maneuverability, hill climb or sled pull, suspension, and a grueling four hour endurance race.
By simulating real-world engineering challenges including regulation compliance, budgeting, teamwork, and marketing, Baja SAE provides a comprehensive, hands-on educational experience that bridges theoretical learning with practical industry demands.
STATIC EVENTS
The 2025 Baja SAE competitions feature a dedicated static event segment held during the first one–two days of each regional contest.
These static events comprise Technical Inspection, Cost Analysis, Engineering Design Evaluation, and the Business/Sales Presentation.
During Technical Inspection, judges assess the vehicle’s safety systems, build quality, and rule compliance. In the Cost Analysis, teams must justify material and manufacturing expenses by presenting cost-effective build strategies. Engineering Design Evaluation challenges teams to articulate and defend their design choices, demonstrating mechanical ingenuity and structural understanding.
Lastly, the Business/Sales Presentation has students pitch their vehicle as if to stakeholders, emphasizing marketability, production feasibility, and overall project viability. These static events serve to evaluate both technical and business acumen before vehicles proceed to the dynamic on‑track challenges.
DYNAMIC EVENTS
Dynamic events take place during the final two days of the competition and consist of high-performance challenges designed to test the durability, agility, power, and reliability of each vehicle.
Acceleration features a sprint from a standing start, timing how quickly teams cover 100–150 ft—the fastest run counts, with slower runs often disqualified if too far off pace.
Hill Climb or Sled Pull tasks teams to either ascend a steep incline or drag a weighted sled for maximum distance across two attempts.
The Maneuverability course demands precision and speed through tight turns and rough terrain, penalizing cone hits or missed gates.
Suspension & Traction evaluates how well cars navigate obstacles, rough terrain, or rock-laden paths. This often includes specialized terrain like rock crawls or mud bogs.
ENDURANCE RACE
Get ready for the ultimate test: the Baja SAE endurance race. Picture a long, grueling four-hour battle where student-built off‑road machines and their teams go head‑to‑head over rugged mile-long tracks full of gulleys, steep climbs, sharp turns, and unforgiving obstacles.
At the drop of the flag, dozens of vehicles roar into motion, but this isn’t just about raw speed—it’s a contest of durability, strategy, and grit. Cars that break are hauled to pits, where teams leap into action, swapping parts, tweaking settings, and sending their drivers back out in the mud and dust.
Driver swap zones and refueling pits become high-stakes hubs of precision under pressure . Each lap is a battle against both the terrain and the clock, with teams working to squeeze maximum performance while avoiding penalties or mechanical failures. In many events, only a handful of cars manage to finish fifty laps or more—making every completed lap a hard-earned victory.
When that checkered flag finally waves, it’s more than just a finish, it’s a testament to teamwork, engineering resilience, and sheer human determination.
