Baja team speeds into racing season with strong early showings
As the spring semester wound down at UMBC, a group of dedicated students was gearing up for their latest adventure. The week before finals, 12 students from the Society of Automotive Engineering’s (SAE’s) Baja racing team traveled almost 3,000 miles to Washougal, Washington, just across the border from Oregon, to compete with their custom-built, single-seat, off-road vehicle in a grueling set of challenges over four days.
Baja SAE draws more than 100 college teams from around the world, who spend a whole year designing, building, and racing their cars. The competitions, which happen three times a year, present a series of tests, from static events such as safety inspections and budgeting and sales presentations, to dynamic events that test the vehicles’ acceleration, traction, maneuverability, and suspension. To cap it all off, cars then compete in a grueling, four-hour endurance race, taking as many laps as possible around a punishing track that often includes steep, dirt hills, mud pits, high-speed straights, hairpin turns, and rocky, rutted, obstacles-strewn sections. Vehicles regularly flip over. On-the-spot repairs are a must.
The UMBC car, driven by Daniel Hessler, competing at the 2026 Baja SAE Oregon endurance event (left) and hill climb event (right). (Photos by Hasan Aslam)
“I’ll remember endurance day the most, same as every competition,” says Matt Crum, a sophomore majoring in financial economics, who traveled with the team to Washington and played a key role in the design presentation. In endurance, the UMBC car completed 40 laps, earning an 11th-place spot out of 76 teams. Considering all events, UMBC finished 12th overall, and took first place in the cost event.
From June 11—14, the team took the car to the second competition of the year, held in Palmyra, New York, and finished 11th overall, again taking first place in the cost event. The final competition of the year will be held September 24—27 in Nashport, Ohio.
“We hold our own against much bigger, better-funded schools,” says Shawn Pourifarsi, a junior computer engineering major and co-vice president of the club. “I’m proud of that.”
Getting their hands dirty
Students on the Baja racing team, which this year includes around 20 team members pursuing a variety of majors, gain valuable experience with a wide range of engineering and business tasks. They work on design refinements using specialized software, get their hands dirty in the shop, and hone skills such as teamwork, budgeting, sales pitching, and working with suppliers.
Team members Matt Crum (left, changing a tire), Daniel Hessler, and Oscar Coreas Otero (right) work on the car in the machine shop. (Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
The team connects with numerous local businesses, many of whom offer support by donating parts and providing expert advice. One local sponsor, Robnet, a Baltimore-based supplier of bolts and screws, has supported the team for more than 20 years.
“We love UMBC racing,” says Eric Edelstein, head of sales at Robnet, as he helped students get an important bolt before they headed across the country for the first race of the season.
Racing club members put in varying hours, depending on their responsibilities and their availability. Collectively, they spend more than 1,000 hours each year working on the car. For the students who become deeply involved in the team, the experience is deeply rewarding.
William Busch (left) and Shawn Pourifarsi (center) speak with Eric Edelstein, head of sales at Robnet. (Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
William Busch, a senior majoring in information technology, was one of the drivers of the car at the Washington/Oregon event. He says entering the competition site on the first morning of the event was especially memorable. “It was the second time I had been to the event site with our team, once in 2023 as a freshman and again now as a senior. So it felt like a real full circle moment,” he says.
“I joined the Baja team because I really liked cars,” says Crum. “I stayed because the culture is undeniably the best. I learn things every day that I wouldn’t be able to learn anywhere else.”
Club president Aiden Dement, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, offers an even simpler reason for staying involved: ”It gets me out of my dorm room,” he says. Several thousand miles of road-tripping later, you could conclude the experience is certainly living up to that goal.
The team visited Badlands National Park in South Dakota on their road trip west, stopping to photograph the car against the backdrop of the park’s distinct geological formations. (Photo by Hasan Aslam)
Posted: July 16, 2026, 1:36 PM