SBU Motorsports Team Achieves Milestone Performance at Baja SAE Competition
The Stony Brook University Motorsports Team earned one of its best finishes in recent years at the Baja SAE New York competition,
highlighted by a 9th-place finish in the dynamic events among 102 collegiate teams.
Held in Hogback Hill, New York, Baja SAE is an international collegiate engineering competition that challenges students to
design, build, and race a single-seat, off-road vehicle capable of enduring demanding
terrain. Teams are responsible for every stage of development—from design and manufacturing
to testing and project management—before putting their vehicles to the test in a series
of rigorous events.
For the Stony Brook team, Car #99 reached an important milestone by passing the competition's technical inspection
on its first attempt, an achievement that speaks to both the quality of the vehicle and the team's meticulous
preparation.
"This year, the Stony Brook Motorsports team passed the SAE technical inspection on
the first attempt," said Noah Machtay, club advisor. "To give context, the technical inspection is the point at which a collection of metal
and parts transcend their individual natures and become a race car. The SAE scrutineering
is incredibly rigorous, and to make it through on a single pass is uncommon. It requires
a vehicle that is both well designed and implemented, but also exceptionally well
prepared. I'm extremely proud of our students; this shows that they have a strong
attention to detail and a commanding ability to execute their designs at the highest
level."
The team's preparation translated into strong performances on the course. Car #99 finished 11th in Suspension & Traction, 12th in Maneuverability, 18th in Hill
Climb, and 18th in Acceleration, earning the team 9th place overall in the competition's
dynamic events.
According to Austin Giordano, co-advisor of the Motorsports Team, the results reflect
the steady progress the organization has made in recent years.
"The Motorsports team has continued its improvement since rebuilding following the
pandemic," Giordano said. "I'm proud of the team's performance and looking forward to how they'll perform next
year."
For team president Julianna Wehmann, the competition was as much about growth as it
was about results.
"This year's competition exceeded our team's expectations, not only because of how
well we performed in the dynamic events compared to previous years, but also because
of our preparation for competition and everything we learned throughout the process," Wehmann said. "We're excited to build on the lessons from Car #99 as we continue to grow our knowledge,
refine our designs, and fabricate our next Baja vehicle."
The Baja SAE competition provides SBU students with an opportunity to apply classroom
knowledge to a complex, real-world engineering challenge. From concept and design
to fabrication, testing, and competition, students gain hands-on experience while
developing the technical and teamwork skills that prepare them for future careers.