The NC State University Pack Motorsports Baja SAE Team competed against 81 teams in the Baja SAE Oshkosh Competition in Oshkosh, Wisconsin last weekend, kicking of their 2023 competition season with excellent results and achieving their best Endurance event finish in years.
The team made a very strong debut in Oshkosh, placing 12th Overall and drastically improving on their results from the two competitions they competed in during the 2022 season. In Baja SAE Tennessee Tech 2022, the team placed 23rd Overall out of 88 total teams; and in Baja SAE Rochester 2022, the team placed 53rd Overall out of 92 total teams.
The team also a hit huge milestone and placed 5th in Endurance, which is their best finish in an endurance event since 2016.
“We are particularly proud of our endurance result,” team co-captain and composites co-lead Sean Fijen said about the team’s performance in Oshkosh.
“It was a really tough race, with the team really pulling together to make it happen … any minor repairs we had to make being performed in record time,” he said. “The track was extremely muddy with some really treacherous obstacles, along with 50 other cars on the track … The car had a really good pace allowing us to overtake a lot of the field after any stop we had to make.”
In addition to the teams staggering success in the Endurance event, the team ranked 5th in Acceleration, 9th in Maneuverability, 27th in Sled Pull, 14th in Suspension & Traction, and 18th in Design.
Baja SAE Oshkosh 2023 marks an excellent start to the team’s 2023 season. In the coming weeks, the team will prepare for their second and final SAE competition of the year, Baja SAE Oregon, which will take place May 31 through June 3 in Washougal, Washington.