Baja Now SPECIAL EDITION: 2018 Car Debut: The Patriot - April 19, 2018
Iowa Baja is proud to debut The Patriot, our 2018 SAE Baja National Competition Vehicle. This vehicle is the culmination of over 1150 hours of design, fabrication, and testing.
When the time came to select a theme for this year's vehicle, we decided to depart from the black and gold theme we have used since the beginning of the team. Instead, we designed this car to be a statement of the values, hard work, and attention to detail which guide the members of Iowa Baja from concept to completion.
First, our team painted the firewall by hand behind the driver's area to resemble The Stars and Stripes, using the flag which hangs in our conference room as a template.
The Patriot
Not only is the theme new for this year, our vehicle platform has been completely re-engineered from the ground up. The Patriot features a new iteration on front suspension allowing for more ground clearance, as well as a new steering system, giving The Patriot a more precise steering response. The rear of the car is different as well, with a new 5-link suspension setup. This suspension not only improves the ground clearance of the vehicle but also improves ride comfort for the driver to reduce their fatigue during a race. The suspension works alongside a custom designed seat to further increase the comfort of the driver.
President Kayla Denson answering questions about The Patriot
Students talking with Baja team members around The Patriot
Today, we wheeled The Patriot from our lab into the Engineering Commons of the Seamans Center for its debut to the College of Engineering community. Hundreds of students and faculty stopped by to learn more about the team, The Patriot, and future events hosted by Iowa Baja.
Thoughts about
The Patriot
“Iowa Baja is a great group of some of our most hardworking students and we are excited to see what else they achieve in the future.”
“When I saw The Patriot, I thought it would be really cool to drive it on the streets.”
“Baja is an extremely welcoming and knowledgeable team, and with all of the hard work they put into their designs, there are definitely great things to come.”
Dean Alec Scranton in The Patriot
Associate Dean Nicole Grosland in The Patriot
Today's debut of The Patriot is not the only event that Baja will be hosting this week. This Sunday, the team will pose for a team picture on the Pentacrest of the University, an area which was once the capital of Iowa. On Wednesday, April 25 at 6:30 P.M., Baja will be hosting University students and faculty as well as the general public for "Baja SAE Night with Professor Hiroyuki Sugiyama". Professor Sugiyama is an Associate Professor with the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering whose current fields of study include Flexible multibody dynamics, railroad vehicle dynamics and much more. To RSVP for the event, click the link below.
Presenting the new Suspension System to visitors
Professor Ching Long Lin in The Patriot
To see more images from today's debut as well as more from the process of building The Patriot, check out our Social Media tomorrow, as well as Vice President Rob Pohren's interview today at the debut on KCRG Channel 9 News. We are always looking for donations to our team. We accept material, machine time as well as monetary donations. For more information, check out the "Sponsors" page of our website.
Long live The Patriot