The team has recently returned from a solid first showing of the season.

During static events on Friday the team pushed the car through Technical Inspection with only minor alterations and 1 re-check needed before passing braking inspection with ease on the first attempt.  In the middle of all this the team presented the new design to the judging team and came away with a 5th place finish for the presentation which combined with the design report netted a 5th place in the Design portion of the event.  At the end of the day the team sat in 5th place overall including an unusually high placement of 18th in the Cost event.

Excited by the good results from day 1 the team prepared the car for Dynamic day and arrive early to get on last Briggs tech before taking on the day's events.  First up was a trip to the acceleration track where after some first run adjustments driver Amy Newton piloted the car as it laid down a blazingly fast 4.838 second 150' time; good for 5th place in the company of cars weighing up to 100 pounds less!  After running acceleration the car was firmed up and sent to tow a shiny new BMW X6 as part of the pull event.  Tim Smith took the wheel as the car labored up the hill in a best time of 10.43 seconds, taking only 35th place but earning a very respectable 64/75 points.  Next up, after some practice time on the test track, team co-captain Chris Reedy took the wheel for the Michelin Suspension and Traction course.  Chris hustled the car through the tape in 34.12 seconds on the first run, then on the second run went for an ambitious double jump and flipped the car. <p> Watch the Video on the TTUBAJASAE Youtube Channel ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWIlgKAgGsk)  The car suffered a cracked roof and a tweaked suspension member, but was driveable and headed straight to Land Maneuverability.  The first run ended up taking 19th place and earning 61.39/75 points.  Chris stayed in the car for an extremely tight maneuverability course.  Even with the long wheelbase the car made is through the course with only 2 assists, a regular occurence for the vast majority of cars at the event.  When the times were tallied the best 65.64 second time was good for 19th place and 43.72/75 points.  As late night repairs were taking place to prep the car for the endurance the team learned that it was still ranked 5th overall, an excellent position to be in for the start of Endurance day.

Endurance day brought a sense of tense excitement and and anticipation as the car was prepared to do battle with co-captain Frank Smith at the wheel.  Unfortunately after only 2 and a half laps a gear in the drivetrain failed due to unknown causes leaving the car stranded and, without a spare, out of the race for good.  As the laps ticked by the team saw their overall position slip to 57th overall for the entire event, a poor representation of the capability and potential of the 2010 prototype and a testament to the endurance and skill of all of the other teams attending the event.

Overall the team looks at this race as a sucess and a learning tool to better prepare for the next event in Rochester, New York where the 2010 car will be donning it's water wings and taking on the competition over land, sea, and potentially air over the jumps of Hogback Hill MX, a familiar track for senior members of TTU Baja SAE.  -CR