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TOMMIE MOTORSPORTS TAKES ON THE BAJA SAE
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Being able to have a team from St. Thomas compete in a Baja SAE competition was a dream over two years in the making.
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By CHRISTOPHER CHO
—DANNY FAGAN Tommie Motorsports founder and team driver
“Being able to have a team from St. Thomas compete in a Baja SAE competition was a dream over two years in the making,” said Danny Fagan, Tommie Motorsports founder and team driver. “Everyone on the team put in a lot of hard work and late nights to prepare for our first competition.” Racing against powerhouse engineering teams from Virginia Tech, University of Michigan, Ohio State, Baylor, Michigan State, University of Dayton, University of Arizona, and Michigan Tech, among others, the team competed in three dynamic events and an endurance race. The Baja SAE series is not your typical racing competition. Engineering students across the nation are tasked with designing and constructing an off-road vehicle that can navigate and survive severe and rough terrain. The teams must compete against one another to see which of their vehicle designs would be “manufactured” by a fictional firm. Students work as a team to design, build, test, promote and race their off-road vehicles. They must also engage with sponsors for financial support, all while managing their academic priorities. The University of St. Thomas Baja Racing Team, Tommie Motorsports, competed in its first Baja SAE series race Sept. 6-10 in Nashport, Ohio, with a vehicle built by the Tommie team members.
Photo: School of Engineering / University of St. Thomas
“Baja was an experience you’ll never get anywhere else. It was so much more than anything you will get from your classes because this was real,” said Cam Vidlund, Tommie Motorsports team driver. “It’s an opportunity to put your skills to the test against engineers from around the country.” “For a first-year team at Baja SAE, we far exceeded our expectations and were able to compete through the entire four-day event,” Cole said. “We were able to show up and make St. Thomas’ presence known on a national level.”
To keep up with St. Thomas’ Baja Racing Team, check out their Instagram @tommie_motorsports.
Page 18 engineering.stthomas.edu
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