On My Cornell Baja SAE Story

I've been a "car guy" since I was about 10 years old. Before then, I was a video game kid and my constant playing of Mario Kart 64 (still the best racing game in existence) provided the steady transition from joystick to steering wheel. This interest would be limited to putting up Lamborghini posters and saving up three years' worth of swim lesson money to buy my Fiona. Soon this developed into reading Autoblog and Jalopnik daily as well as all the How Stuff Works articles on the standard transmission and the internal combustion engine.

There came a point in my life when I thought I would be an engineer and love to design and work on engines (there were also times when I wanted to be a marine biologist and a stand-up comedian). Then, a combination of an amazing English teacher that taught me how to write and argue and a complete disinterest in calculus (as well as a failing grade on the AP exam) moved me away from engineering and toward a career in law (Sir Issac Newton - your laws of physics have got nothing on the Bill of Rights). And despite my academic pursuance of economic policy and pre-law classes, I could still be found in Catherwood Library reading all the latest car news instead of labor law cases and econ text books.

At the beginning of the second semester of my freshman year, a friend of mine/my mortal enemy, Scott, told me he was interviewing later that day for an off-road race car team. I inquired further about the nature of the competition and he said that the engineering school has a number of "project teams" that each do something different. There was one for a Formula style race car, one for an autonomous underwater vehicle (read robot submarine), one that attempted to make a terminator-style robotic arm, and an off-road race car team. Equipped with no more knowledge than that, I asked Scott to ask his interviewers if they had an extra time slot to interview me for a position on the team. Not being an engineer would pose some difficulty, but luckily there was a facet of the team that I fit into: the business subteam, responsible for all financing, accounting, public relations, recruiting, travel planning, and other business-esque assignments having to do with a major project. I had found a spot where my personal skill set could be useful and I could be involved in something about which I felt so passionately.

My involvement started small but quickly grew, as did my friendships with many of the team members. Indeed, I was not personally building anything on the car (save mounting the headrest, which is obviously the most important part of the car) but I got to be involved in every facet of the project, from engine to brake pedal. And while this semester I have not technically been on the team because I am in DC, I still try to help whenever and where ever I can and maintain constant contact with team members.

Which brings me to today. This weekend marks the opening competition of the North American Baja SAE Series. The competition is taking place in Greenville, South Carolina and you can follow the action live here.

I sat at my computer all day, constantly refreshing that Twitter page to get updates on how the team was doing while also calling team members for updates. I must admit that I do miss going to competition and that I can't wait for our second and final competition this year in Rochester, NY from June 10-13, where I will be in attendance.

So, here is a toast to the team. You guys are the best and have formed a major part of my life experience thus far. Not only has the project provided a venue to apply my personal strengths and what I am learning in class, but also it has allowed me to fully engage one of the things in the world about which I feel most passionately. I have made some of my best friends on the team and, despite currently watching the progress from afar via facebook, Youtube, and Twitter, I still feel that sense of pride and accomplishment, and I want to thank you guys for that. I am so proud to be a member of this team, and whether we come in first or get run off the road by some Foreigners, we all come back with free hats and T-shirts, and that is what really matters.


The team is currently sitting in 6th place overall out of 103 with the final and most important event, the 4 hour endurance race, to be held tomorrow.