Engineering students win tug of war at Backwoods Baja competition

By David Staudacher

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) at UIC’s Baja team won the tug-of-war competition during the Backwoods Baja 2021 hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

The UIC student team competed against 17 schools in the contest. In each matchup, two opposing cars were ratchet-strapped together facing away from each other. At the signal, both cars’ drivers hit the gas and tried to pull the other one in its direction. The winner of each pairing was declared when one car out-powered the other.

Backwoods Baja also included a six-hour endurance race around a track. UIC’s team saw both of its Baja cars flip over and break down but made the repairs needed to keep at it, winning a special award for perseverance.

“The team did a phenomenal job fixing the cars by welding repairs on the frame and drive axles,” said Hannah Thiel, Baja team captain and mechanical engineering student.

Awards aside, the students were thrilled to be back in competition. Events were canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, and the prior year’s race was cut short due to cold and rainy conditions in which cars got stuck often.

This year, warm weather and a perfectly dusty track welcomed the competitors back. There was a heightened atmosphere of excitement during the fast-paced endurance competition, with cars coming on and off the track for repairs or to switch drivers during a wheel-to-wheel race. Eleven out of UIC’s 12 drivers had a chance to compete.

“It felt good to be back in a casual competitive spirit and face other schools,” Thiel said. “It has been a while since the Baja team has gotten the chance to drive the cars on an all-terrain race track, so it felt refreshing.”

Learn more about the SAE at UIC student organization at https://sae.uic.edu.