UC Irvine Giving Day

Who We Are

Anteater Baja Racing is a team of 35+ undergraduate students that aims to design, manufacture, and test an off-road vehicle to compete in the 2026 Oregon Baja SAE International Competition. At competition, we face rigorous technical and safety inspections, present our engineering design process to industry professionals and most importantly, put our vehicle to the test. Our vehicle is subject to a series of dynamic events designed to measure acceleration, maneuverability, suspension and endurance over rough terrain and environmental conditions. Every system on the car is designed and built by our team, including the chassis, suspension, steering, brakes, powertrain and human interface.

Progress Report

Since the close of our fall 2025 ZotFunder campaign, our team has fully transitioned into the manufacturing phase of our design cycle.

Our chassis and human interface team completed weld inspections to ensure quality and consistency before priming, painting and clear coating the frame. They also integrated a new seat to improve our driver’s comfort and overall ride smoothness. Our suspension team has finished manufacturing custom modular uprights and has been testing various spring configurations to optimize performance. Meanwhile, the steering team refined the steering column to reduce effort needed and improve responsiveness.

Our powertrain team is currently manufacturing housing for our bevel gears, which will guide power transfer from the gearbox to the front wheels. We are also finalizing all required driver guards for moving components to ensure full compliance with Baja SAE safety rules. As we move closer to competition, we are also looking to purchase sensors to collect real-time performance data during testing, allowing us to further refine the vehicle.

Every contribution brings us one step closer to achieving our goals and representing our community at Baja SAE International. In addition to supporting this year’s manufacturing and competition expenses, a portion of funds is being reserved to give next year’s team an early start. Early access to funding allows us to purchase materials in the fall, begin manufacturing sooner and create stronger design continuity between graduating and incoming members.

Your Support So Far

Thanks to the generous support of our community through our fall 2025 ZotFunder campaign, we successfully raised $6,390 to support our 2025–26 design cycle. These funds were used during a critical phase of manufacturing and competition preparation, directly enabling our team to compete at Baja SAE 2026 in Washougal, Washington (May 7–10).

Below is a breakdown of how the funds have been allocated:

$1,850 - Competition registration fee

$1,880 - Raw steel and aluminum stock, tubing and hardware for key components including our custom gear reduction case, modular uprights, rack and pinion system and driveshaft.

$1,020 - Vehicle testing expenses, including test site rental, equipment and data acquisition sensors to collect and analyze performance data

$1,600 - Competition transportation costs for our racecar, Corsair, and team

Every dollar raised was directly applied to competition and manufacturing expenses, ensuring our team could complete our vehicle and prepare for competition. Your support makes an immediate and meaningful impact on our team’s ability to design, build, and compete. We are deeply grateful for your belief in our team as we continue to grow and proudly represent Anteaters in collegiate racing.