University of Virginia Baja History
The 2006 Mini Baja Car: “Beast Heavy”
“Beast Heavy,” named for it’s excessive weight and size, is the Cadillac of Baja cars: huge, plush ride, and VERY slow. Tipping the scales at a whopping 680 pounds, Newton’s Second Law is not kind to “Beast Heavy.” This car’s tank-like features have, however, achieved the highest SAE Baja competition finish for Virginia Baja Racing. Coming in with the goal of surviving competition with no failures and a reach goal of a top-50 finish, the team brought home a 49th place finish (which just so happened to beat Virginia Tech – another goal). A 13th place finish in the Chain Pull and a 23rd place finish in the Mud Bog were the highlights of the SAE Baja competition. With out any major incidents, Beast Heavy survived the 4-Hour endurance race and finished in 37th place. With only a team of five, the 2005 UVa Baja team learned lessons that is fueling the design of future, lighter UVA Baja cars.
Click here for more pictures of our 2006 Baja Buggy.