BAJA SAE India 2012 concludes on a thrilling note

The 5th edition of the Baja SAE India 2012 concluded on February 20, 2012 at Pithampur, near Indore. The event which was held at NATRIP facility witnessed participation from 80 engineering colleges from across the country in the final endurance test. SRM University from Chennai came in first place and PES Modern College of Engineering from Pune secured the first runners-up position while Basaveshwara Engineering College from Bagalkot were the second runners-up. While congratulating the winners, Dr. Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive and Farm Equipment sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., said, “I am thrilled to witness the enthusiasm and passion from all the participating teams with every edition of BAJA. Competitions such as BAJA SAEINDIA play an integral role in the persistent quest for better designs, newer technology and more refined products. My heartiest congratulations to all the teams’ for putting in a stellar performance”.

Dr. John C. Wall, Vice President - Chief Technical Officer, Cummins Inc. Said “Cummins is very proud to be a sponsor of the India SAE Mini BAJA. Engineering is all about working in teams to create products that meet the needs of our customers. We believe the Mini BAJA is a terrific training ground for young engineers -- not only does it create a realistic environment for teamwork in product design, the students get to test their products against others in design competition and in the race itself. And they can see and hopefully experience firsthand what happens when a product works very well. At Cummins, we call this "Innovation You Can Depend On." We look forward to continuing our association with SAE MiniBaja in the future and to seeing these engineering students grow into successful engineering leaders”.

The dignitaries, Dr. Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive & Farm Equipment Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Dr. John C. Wall, Vice President - Chief Technical Officer, Cummins Inc, Dr. K. C. Vora, Advisor BAJA SAEINDIA and Dy. Director & Head of ARAI Academy, ARAI, Pune, Mr. Mahendra Kumbhar, Convener of BAJA SAEINDIA and Mr Nirmal Matharu, Vice President Mahindra Two Wheelers, Mahindra & Mahindra  presented numerous other awards to the teams for static events. Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad bagged the Technology Innovation award whereas Institute of Engineering Technology-DAVV, Indore bagged the Go Green Award. The Low Weight Sustainability Award which was newly introduced this year was bagged by IIT Bombay. The other category awards like the Raftaar award were won by Maeer’s Maharashtra Academy of Engineering, Pune and the Maximum Acceleration Award by College of Engineering (COEP), Pune respectively. Jodhpur National University, Jodhpur won the Best Built Quality Award which was also a new entrant in the awards category this year. The Endurance award which assessed vehicles ability to operate at a speed over rough terrain was bagged by AISSMS College of Engineering, Pune.

The students walked away not just with the excitement and a sense of accomplishment for having competed in such a testing event, but also a fair amount of prize money as well which was more than Rs 26 lacs. The three day event started with basic Static Evaluation round which comprised of Design Evaluation, Cost Evaluation and Marketing Presentation. In the final round, the teams showcased their prototype of a rugged single seat, off-road recreational four-wheel vehicle and were evaluated on various parameters, including engineering design, cost and technology innovation. The objective of the competition was to simulate real world engineering design projects and their related challenges. Each team’s goal was to create a safe, easily transported, easily maintained and fun to drive prototype without any direct involvement from professional fabricators. However, the teams were free to design their own transmissions with the only restriction being the speed limit to 60kmph. The Dynamic Evaluation Round tested the vehicles for acceleration, speed, hill climb and manoeuvrability and the Durability Evaluation Round saw the vehicles undergo endurance tests. The Endurance Event assessed each vehicle’s ability to operate continuously and at a speed over rough terrain containing obstacles in any weather conditions.