Golden Bear Racing Team Gains Ground in BAJA SAE Competition

As interest in BAJA racing competition heats up at Western New England University and on campuses around the globe, the Golden Bear Racing Team continues to stake its claim as a perennial contender. At the Baja SAE competition held April 19-22 in Mechanicsville, MD, the team finished 15th overall in a field of 100 competing universities, its highest ranking in program history.

In individual competitions, the team ranked 13th in Endurance, 15th in Suspension, 18th in Hill Climb, 24th in Maneuverability, and 45th in Acceleration. In the Suspension category, it was among just 24 vehicles able to complete the course. "This was a historic year for the program, it marked the first time that a car was designed, manufactured, and then competed all in one academic year," said team Captain ZeCarlos Roxo. "And we didn’t just compete, we excelled, by finishing 3 of the 5 dynamic events with the highest team ranking in our short four-year history."

These results are fueling club membership on campus, which looks to recruit members not only from engineering disciplines, but also students from the College of Business who are eager to gain experience in sales, marketing, and fundraising. The team is grateful for the support of sponsors. Top sponsors include the Western New England University Alumni Association and Hampden Engineering Corporation, headed by trustee Michael Flynn '82/G'83. Sponsors and University community members were invited to meet with the team and view this year’s vehicle at the Emerging Engineers Expo held on May 3.

“It’s been amazing to watch this team grow and continue to excel over the last four years,” said David Greenslade, PhD candidate and club advisor. “Confidence in the overall design has already motivated the students to start planning in depth engineering design, analysis, and optimization projects for the 2019 racing season. The team is also planning to attend two of the three SAE competitions next season, traditionally we only had the resources to do one a year.”

“Another highlight from the 2018 season included freshman engineering student Austen Metsack being hired by Volvo as a 2019 summer intern. Volvo is a major sponsor of Baja SAE and they heavily recruit students from top teams at these events.”