Western New England University’s Golden Bear Racing team returned from this year’s Baja SAE competition held in Palmyra, New York, with one of the strongest performances in the program’s history, placing 22nd overall out of 102 teams from around the world.
The finish marks another major step forward for the student-led team, which improved from its 29th-place overall finish at last year’s competition in Mechanicsville, Maryland. The team’s top performance came in the demanding four-hour endurance race, where Golden Bear Racing finished 16th.
Sponsored by SAE International, Baja SAE is one of the premier collegiate engineering design competitions in the world. Founded in 1976 at the University of South Carolina, the competition challenges students to design, engineer, build, test, promote, and compete with a single-seat, all-terrain vehicle intended as a prototype for a recreational off-road market. The competition also requires students to manage budgets, prepare technical documentation, deliver business and design presentations, generate financial support, and work as a team under real-world constraints.
For Golden Bear Racing President Ahmed Elbakri, the team’s finish reflects both the talent of WNE students and the momentum the program is building.
“To see our small school not just competing with but surpassing some of the world’s best engineering programs is proof that a successful engineering project does not just come from having the biggest budget or the most resources,” Elbakri said. “It all starts with the team behind it all. Golden Bear Racing has been the underdog for so long, but there is no doubt now that we are on many teams’ radars for the upcoming 2027 competitions.”
Golden Bear Racing’s 2026 results included a 24th-place finish in the business presentation, 29th in the design presentation, 28th in hill climb, and 16th in endurance. The team also competed in cost report, acceleration, maneuverability, and suspension and traction events.
Faculty advisor Roger Blinn said the experience gives students a level of applied learning that is difficult to replicate in a traditional classroom setting.
“As someone who spent decades in industry, I can tell you the experience students gain through Baja SAE provides real-world skills that are truly invaluable,” Blinn said. “They are developing project management, budgeting, communication, manufacturing, engineering judgment, leadership, and critical-thinking skills in an environment that closely mirrors the challenges they will face as professionals.”
While Baja SAE is rooted in engineering, Golden Bear Racing draws students from across disciplines. The team includes mechanical engineering students as well as students from other engineering fields, business, criminal justice, and other academic programs. Business students like Elbakri play an especially important role in marketing, fundraising, sponsorship development, and the competition’s business presentation.
The team is also largely self-supported. Its annual budget is typically three to four times greater than the funding it receives from Student Senate, requiring students to raise additional support through fundraisers, donations, corporate sponsorships, and in-kind contributions of materials and services. Team members also perform nearly all of the manufacturing required for the vehicle themselves using WNE facilities.
That hands-on model is a point of pride for the program. Unlike some larger universities, where graduate students may lead vehicle development and undergraduates serve in supporting roles, WNE’s team is composed entirely of undergraduates. Students often begin making meaningful contributions as first-year students, gaining experience in design, fabrication, testing, leadership, and long-term planning early in their college careers.
Blinn said the team’s success is especially notable because WNE is competing against much larger institutions with deeper resources and long-established engineering reputations.
“By reaching 22nd place overall, WNE is competing very favorably against schools that are much larger and often have far greater resources,” Blinn said. “What makes this team special is that it is student-led and student-driven. I provide coaching on leadership, technical assessment, engineering judgment, and long-term strategy, but the students lead their club and make the decisions. It is especially rewarding when they use data and critical thinking to chart their own path.”
The team is already looking ahead. Work on the 2027 competition vehicle is underway, and the next car is already designed. Leadership transitions are also part of the team’s long-term strategy, with Chief Engineer Kaede Wood – who graduates next December and has played a tremendous role in developing the team to where it is – starting to transition responsibilities to a sophomore in the next semester.
“Competing teaches us so many lessons, but the biggest thing we learned this year was that our team is nowhere near our full potential,” Elbakri said. “We’re just getting started, and we are headed there quickly.”
As Golden Bear Racing closes its 2026 competition season, the team credits its growing success to the students, faculty, donors, sponsors, alumni, and supporters who have helped build the program.
“Thank you all for your continuous support over the year,” Elbakri said. “Truthfully, we could not have achieved any of it without your donations, advice, encouragement, and other forms of support. You’re all a part of the rapidly growing program we are building, and we hope our performance continues to prove that to you.”
