COVID-19 & Iowa Baja's 2019-2020 Season

Baja Family,

We know that the last few weeks have been challenging and confusing. As we continue to monitor the ever-changing coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, Iowa Baja Racing would like to bring you up to speed on our plans for the rest of the 2019-2020 Baja SAE season. 

On March 19th, Baja SAE notified the teams of their intention to “modify” the format of our National Competitions, initially scheduled for April and June. Traditionally, students present their designs to judges before competing in a variety of dynamic vehicle events. This year, the competition is entirely virtual, with students competing in the cost and design presentation as well as the corresponding cost and design reports.

At Iowa Baja, the safety of our members is our main priority. As a precaution, our executive board decided to suspend our organized shop times, as well as our meetings. The Executive Board made this decision in response to new social distancing guidelines as well as The University of Iowa’s decision to suspend face to face instruction, non-essential domestic travel, as well as commencement for our senior members. To prepare for our upcoming events, members will continue completing our necessary static event material from home. 

While we are disappointed with the decision by Baja SAE, we are thankful for their forward-thinking leadership, ensuring the safety of their members from around the world. We are disappointed we will not be able to race our 2020 National Competition Vehicle this year. Our team has already poured countless hours into design and fabrication in anticipation of our upcoming competitions. These designs, however, will be ready and optimized for our future competitions. Let us be clear, we will be finishing the 2020 National Competition Vehicle when the University of Iowa gives us an all-clear to resume our regular meetings in the Baja Lab. 

We want to thank our supporters for their continued support of Iowa Baja. While this is a frustrating way to end our season, we will return, stronger than ever, ready to compete. If you have any questions or would like to reach out directly to the team, follow the link below

Regards,

Iowa Baja Racing