Zips Baja Team member Zachary Gnabah prepares to put on a helmet as he gets ready to drive the Baja car during a test session on campus.
It’s not every day you see a Baja vehicle maneuvering through a cone course filled with curves in the heart of campus. But that’s what happened in a parking lot near E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall on Nov. 8 as Zips Baja, one of The University of Akron’s engineering design teams, tested new parts for its latest vehicle.
“We like to test our car in parking lots as the first step in the trial process,” said Liz Clifford, a mechanical engineering major who is the co-captain and brakes leader of the Zips Baja team. “We use older vehicles to test new components and see how well they perform. If they pass the test on pavement, we take the vehicle to an off-road course and test the performance in that setting.”
The Zips Baja vehicle resembles a dune buggy — it is designed to be driven on an off-road course. The ultimate goals are for the vehicle to be as lightweight as possible to enhance the car’s speed and maneuverability, and for it to be reliable so it endures in competitions.
The Zips Baja Team vehicle maneuveurs the ‘test course’ set up in a parking lot on campus.
Traveling the USA for competitions
The team will travel to southern California, Kansas and Illinois in the spring to compete in national competitions this year. At the competitions the vehicle is judged on design, suspension and maneuverability. In an endurance test, the vehicle will complete as many laps around the course as possible in four hours while racing head to head with up to 110 competitors.
Zachary Gnabah, a mechanical engineering major and the suspension design leader for the Zips Baja team, is one of the designated drivers for testing. His nickname — ‘Nascar’ — reflects the skilled driving he demonstrated on the campus parking lot course.
“Driving the Baja vehicle is a lot of fun, and I like to make sure I give the vehicle a good test,” said Gnabah, a junior from North Canton. “The courses at the competitions are intense, but I trust the vehicle we build will be able to last through the entire race.”
Justin Crone checks the tie rod alignment of the Baja car.
Hands-on engineering experience
Students on the Zips Baja team say they love the hands-on engineering experience their participation provides.
“I learn about all the equations and formulas in class, but I really get to put my knowledge to the test when building the Baja vehicle,” said Clifford. “I was excited to get the opportunity to be part of the construction of the car and learn how to weld, which is something I otherwise may never have had the opportunity to do.”
“I had no engineering design experience before joining Zips Baja,” said Gnabah. “It allowed me to gain practical engineering knowledge that I know will be extremely valuable after graduation.”
Story by Courtney Bosetti
Media contact: Dan Minnich, 330-972-6476 or dminnich@uakron.edu.