Baja SAE Northwestern University

Sponsorship Proposal

2015-2016

Competition Lowdown The Baja competition, organized by the Society of

Automotive Engineers, challenges students with building

a car capable of surviving the grueling tests of rough

terrain: rocks, ditches, mud, creeks, loose dirt and gravel,

drops and jumps. Hundreds of schools compete across

the country, allowing students to come together as

individuals, teams, and engineers to gain invaluable

hands-on experience.

Scoring Big

Competition takes place over four days, with static

events – a design presentation and business report –

followed by the dynamic events like a maneuverability

course, sled pull, and a punishing four-hour endurance

race. Because each event weighs heavily in the overall

scoring, teams are forced not only to perform well but to

understand the rationale behind every design choice.

Designing to Win

All cars run on the same engine and are subject to strict

safety and dimensional constraints, but teams are

otherwise free to innovate. Most of the design process

focuses around first building a strong, safe frame and

suspension system, and then making the car as light,

comfortable, and capable as possible.

About NU Baja Our team consists of 16 returning veteran “Motorcats”

as well as about 10 new members, dubbed

“Motorkittens.” With a larger and still growing member

base, we’re able to better divide work and speed up the

design/build/race cycle.

A Brief History

Northwestern University Baja, founded in 1988, is the

oldest vehicle team on campus, but has gone through

some rough periods. We have historically made it to

competition about once every three years, due to our

past dependence on a small, unorganized group to

complete our car. Over the past four years, the team has

seen a complete turnover of members. The 2013 Baja

SAE Tennessee event was the first competition any of our

current members attended. After 2013-14’s grueling

one-year design cycle, we were left with a car that was

improved for our 2015 race. Boosting our recruitment,

sponsorship, and training efforts, we are building the

team’s foundation to succeed for years to come. We

mean business.

How We Roll

Baja is entirely student-run. We conduct extensive

research and discuss each design element as a team

before beginning to model and analyze our designs in

Solidworks CAD software. The team functions with

individual projects designed with the whole car in mind,

and students manufacture nearly all of our own parts.

We’re always down to get dirty.

And We Raced!

Baja SAE Pittsburg State University – May 22-25, ‘14

After struggling to pass technical inspection the car was

finally able to race in an international competition, and

performed better than expected. After conquering the

endurance race, we placed in the middle of the pack of

100 schools at the Kansas event.

Baja SAE Maryland Competition – May 7-10, ‘15

Despite a mid-competition engine change, we managed

to compete in all of the dynamic events in addition to

the endurance race. We also had our first checkered-

flag finish in NU Baja recent history. Ultimately, we once

again finished in the middle of the 100 schools

attending.

Enter Stage Left: the 2016 NU Baja Car This past summer, we began the design process again for

a brand new car. Between our first and second iterations,

we improved immensely, but now it’s time to advance

even further. The goal is to make a new car both lighter

and stronger, to make it faster and more maneuverable:

ultimately, to make it better. To do this, we are focusing

on a few major design changes:

Powertrain

For the first time ever, we are making a major push to

tune our Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and

gather telemetry data. The CVT works to hold the engine

at the most efficient speed for as long as possible, so by

adjusting the springs and weights inside it, we can adjust

the car’s speed, acceleration, and ability to climb hills.

This summer, we built a system to monitor both engine

output speed and vehicle speed in order to better

monitor the engine’s performance. Now, it’s a matter of

tuning the CVT to achieve the desired balance of speed

and power.

Suspension

Last year, one of the most challenging aspects of bringing

our old car to life was the designing of the uprights – the

components that attach the wheels to the suspension.

To help with some of the issues, we decided to build very

tall, heavy uprights. This year, however, we’ve made

decreasing weight a priority and are thereby dedicating

numerous hours to a complete design overhaul, using

FMEA software and extensive testing. The end goal: new,

shorter, lighter, but just as strong uprights.

Looking Forward

Team Motivation

After experiencing several competitions and our first

ever checkered-flag-finish, NU Baja is finally back on its

wheels, with the momentum to keep rolling. We are

working furiously, designing and manufacturing a new

car, gearing away for the 2016 races.

Upcoming Races

This year, we’re planning on attending Blizzard Baja at

Michigan Tech in February. For the first time, we’re

planning on going with not only one, but two

Northwestern Vehicles—last year’s as well as the one

we’re designing now.

We’re also officially registered for the Baja SAE

Tennessee Competition that’s on April 14th-17th. Look out

for Team #33!

What You’re Here For Like any group, we need money to run. We have an

enormous project in front of us, and we need support

throughout all stages. In addition to building a car, the

team is also tackling the challenging logistics of

improving our workspace on campus, of growing and

educating our team, and of making our way to race with

everything we need to be a legitimate competitor.

What We Need

Anything you are able to contribute to our team will be

appreciated. Be it a financial contribution, discount, or

in-kind donation of products or services, we will take it.

We are open to creative ideas. If you have a sponsorship

idea for the team, please contact us.

Your Benefit

Our appreciation for our sponsors is reflected in several

ways. When a company or individual helps our team,

their name or logo will be advertised on our car,

competition trailer, shirts, and website. All donations are

tax deductible. Additionally, our sponsors gain an

immediate connection with Northwestern engineers,

and of course endless thanks from our team.

Sponsorship Levels Bronze ($100-$499):

Logo featured on website

Name listed on car

A handwritten thank you note

Silver ($500-$999):

Access to team resume packet

Logo featured on car

Gold ($1000-$2499):

Logo featured on t-shirt

Prominent logo on car

Platinum ($2500 +):

Access to team and car for outreach events

Team assistance with on-campus recruitment

*Each level includes benefits of all lower levels!

Have Your People Talk to Our People Thank you for your time and consideration!

Sincerely,

Sarah Gorlick and Faye Zhang: Co-Project Managers

Joseph Burke: Sponsorships Chair

Mikey Diamond: Captain

And all the Motorcats!

numotorcats@gmail.com

www.northwesternbaja.com

Without Your Funding, We’re Stuck in the Mud.