Rocío Castañeda
For the second consecutive year, the Baja Ocelot Racing UPIITA Team from the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) dominated the podium at the national Baja SAE Mexico 2023 competition held in Toluca, with their all-terrain vehicle named Iktán (Ingenious, in Maya). Over three days, they accumulated 11 trophies in various tests and secured the overall victory.
The polytechnic team secured first place in the Cost, Sales, Design Presentation, Overall Static Events, and Mud tests; second place in Maneuverability, Hill Climb, Suspension, Overall Dynamic Events, and Endurance; as well as third place in Acceleration. Moreover, they clinched the top spot in the overall Baja SAE Mexico 2023, where 30 projects from various higher education institutions participated.
The team captain and Mechatronics Engineering student at the Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria en Ingeniería y Tecnologías Avanzadas (UPIITA), Kevin Figueroa Brito, explained that this competition, organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers Mexico Section, aims to have upper-level students develop an engineering project.
He described Iktán, as a single-seater all-wheel-drive vehicle, weighing around 185 kilograms, equipped with a telemetry system that allows tracking its position during the race, measuring times and laps, and featuring a suspension with pneumatic shock absorbers.
The co-captain and driver for the Maneuverability and Mud tests, Alan Sánchez Cárdenas, mentioned that each competition provides them with valuable experience to improve and set new goals. Meanwhile, Felipe Morán Velasco, a Mechatronics Engineering student, emphasized that this event is a collaborative project of ideas that is gaining increasing interest among students.
Looking ahead to 2024, the Baja Ocelot Racing UPIITA Team is gearing up to design and build a new vehicle to participate in the international SAE competition in Michigan, United States. This endeavor requires various forms of support in addition to what the school provides.
Gaceta Politécnica #1764. (December 29th, 2023). IPN Imagen Institucional: Read the full magazine in Spanish here.
INSTITUTO POLITÉCNICO NACIONAL
D.R. Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN). Av. Luis Enrique Erro S/N, Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Zacatenco, Alcaldía Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07738, Ciudad de México. Conmutador: 55 57 29 60 00 / 55 57 29 63 00.
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