April 23, 2010

UAB Baja Team. Download image.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ­- Blazer Motorsports, a team of students from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Mechanical Engineering, leaped its previous best finish by 30 spots to place 22nd overall in the 2010 Baja SAE 2010 real-world engineering challenge.

The Baja SAE, formerly Society of Automotive Engineers, competition was hosted in Greenville, S.C. A total of 100 teams from the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil competed in the contest April 8-11.

Blazer Motorsports' previous best finish in the annual competition was 52nd overall in 2009. This year, the team set record best scores in all seven judged categories, including car design, cost and endurance.

Download image.

The Baja SAE competition simulates real-world engineering design projects and their related challenges. Engineering students are tasked to design and build an off-road vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain and sometimes even water.

The Blazer Motorsports team members who built their competition car from scratch and raced it to the best-ever finish are Billy (Alex) McConathy of Oak Grove, Haley Rilling of Brewton, David Saunders of Montgomery, David Sexton of Dothan, Heath Washington of Corner, Thomas Moland of Gadsden, Jungwook Goldsmith of Korea and Alexei Neklyudov of Russia.

The 2010 team's financial sponsors were Honda, Alabama Power, URS Washington Group, Mark 5, Snoozy's bookstore, SAE and the Birmingham chapter of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. More than a dozen other companies also donated specialized parts and services.

About UAB Engineering

The UAB School of Engineering offers students real-world experience while they train in one of its degree programs, which include the only undergraduate biomedical engineering program in Alabama. Students experience cutting-edge research opportunities, industry co-ops and unique internships generated by the school's commitment to interdisciplinary learning.