Sasol Baja SAE Off Road Race to held at Gerotek
This year's Sasol Baja SAE Off Road Race will be held at the Gerotek Testing Facilities in Tshwane on Friday, 24th and Saturday, 25th October.
Competitors during the Sasol Baja Gerotek Race Day 1. Picture: Bruce Taylor/BackpagePix
The annual unique event will again pitch cars designed by engineering students from around the country against one another in a tough four-hour off road race.
The Sasol Baja SAE is an annual partnership between Sasol, Gerotek, technical competition specialists ESTEQ and engine suppliers, Briggs and Stratton, which allows engineering faculties of tertiary institutions to showcase their science and technological expertise in producing a Baja vehicle that will not only impress the judging panel, but also master the treacherous Gerotek circuit.
A total of 16 teams have entered for this year’s event.
They will represent the University of KwaZulu Natal (two cars), University of Witwatersrand (two cars), Vaal University of Technology (two cars), Central University of Technology (two cars), Tshwane University of Technology (two cars), University of Pretoria (two cars), with the University of Johannesburg, North West University and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University entering one car each.
International flavour comes by way of India’s KJ Somaiya College of Engineering.
On Friday, 24th October, the judging panel will inspect the Bajas, and allocate scoring according to different functional aspects.
The fun and excitement will heat up in the afternoon, with further judging at the performance tests, with acceleration, gradient ability, gymkhana and torque tests conducted.
Saturday’s programme will include a four-hour endurance race starting at 13h00.
The Baja event started in the USA in 1976 with the first event of its kind held in SA 20 years later.
