University of Virginia Baja History
The 2007 Mini Baja Car: “Swamp Donkey”
The 2007 UVA Baja team had high hopes, but suffered from a lack of experienced members. With only three returning members and one fourth-year, the new Baja members had a steep learning curve and were thrown into the mix early. With the Baja team deciding to make a vast number of changes to the 2006 design, the small team started from scratch and designed and built a completely new Baja car. Being smaller and lighter than previous Baja cars, “Swamp Donkey” was the fastest and best looking of UVA’s Baja cars. However, the speed and good looks did not translate into results at the Baja RIT Competition. Plagued by poor front suspension geometry, tierod failures and a lack of development, “Swamp Donkey” finished 77th overall but did achieve success in the Hill Climb and Suspension and Traction dynamic events. The 2007 Baja car is a tremendous recruitment tool and test bed for future designs. The soon-to-be successful 2008 UVA Baja car is an iteration of the basic 2007 Baja platform.
Click here for more pictures of our 2007 Baja Vehicle.