About us
Classroom theory, applied to a complete vehicle, under strict rules, a limited budget and fixed deadlines.
The competition
Baja is an international collegiate design competition run by SAE International (bajasae.net). Teams design, build and race a single-seat off-road car that has to survive jumps, rocks, mud and a four-hour endurance race.
Every team runs the same Kohler CH440 (restricted from 14 to 9.5 hp) under the same rules, so design, weight and reliability decide the results.
OktoBajaFest · 2026
Competition format
Events score the whole program, not only the car: the reports and presentations, short timed runs, and how the car holds up after hours of abuse. Each field rewards something different, so speed alone doesn't win.
Before the car can run, it has to pass technical inspection. Industry judges then score the design, the cost report and the sales presentation, so the team defends its engineering choices and its numbers in person, not only on the course.
Short timed events test acceleration, hill climb or traction, manoeuvrability and suspension. The cars run on challenging terrain, including jumps, ruts, trees, slippery slopes and more.
A four-hour wheel-to-wheel race. A car that keeps running beats a faster one that breaks, and repairs happen in the pits with the clock still running, so the pit crew's preparation counts as much as outright speed.
The team
Rough Rider Racing (RRR) is the University of Ottawa's Baja SAE team and one of the Faculty of Engineering's competitive design teams, with members from mechanical, electrical, software and computer engineering and other programs.
The crewWhat members learn
Members graduate with a portfolio of real, tested hardware.
CAD modelling, hand calculations, finite element analysis, design reviews and technical documentation.
Machining, welding, fabrication, wiring, assembly and troubleshooting.
Budgeting, scheduling, risk management, communication and delivery to fixed deadlines.
The process
A brand-new car every season. Starting from a clean sheet each year pushes members toward new solutions instead of carrying old ones forward.
Every idea is checked on paper and at design review before any metal is cut.
Students make the parts themselves.
Better to find what breaks on a test day than during the endurance race.
What worked and what broke becomes the starting point for next year's car.
