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USMA1982 list

USMA1982-FORUM list

The 2006 Baragona Award winners were Joshua Ladner, Wes Ogden, Josh Ollek, Kyle Graham, John Barnes, J.D. Sauer, Seth Green, Colby Smithmeyer, Steve Reynosa, and Chad Martin for their work on the mini-Baja vehicle.

The Mini Baja project team was tasked to design and build a prototype of a rugged, single seat, off-road recreational vehicle intended for sale to the non-professional weekend off road enthusiast.  The team, under faculty advisors MAJ Chad Jagmin, Rich Schooff, Rich Catello, and Mike Boss consisted of ten first class cadets: Joshua Ladner (Cadet in Charge), Wes Ogden (Assistant Cadet in Charge), Josh Ollek (Frame), Kyle Graham (Water Propulsion), John Barnes (Rear Suspension), J.D. Sauer (Steering and Front Suspension), Seth Green (Brakes), Colby Smithmeyer (Drivetrain), Steve Reynosa (Aesthetics), and Chad Martin (Project Manager). 

The Baja team drew upon the knowledge they gained from their engineering curriculum at West Point to design and build the car.  They fully integrated the design process and analysis tools they used in other engineering courses to design the vehicle.  The team used the experience of the laboratory technicians in the C&ME department to help them in the fabrication process.  “Overall it was a very rewarding project, I learned a lot about what goes into designing and manufacturing a vehicle,” said Cadet Joshua Ladner, the cadet in charge of the Baja team.  Upon finishing the vehicle the team traveled to Auburn University to compete against 66 other colleges. 

The competition, sponsored by Briggs and Stratton and the Society of Automotive Engineers, consisted of a technical inspection, design presentation and report, top speed test, log pull, water maneuverability course, suspension course, maneuverability course, and culminated with a five hour endurance race that pushed most vehicles beyond their breaking points.  The team placed well in the design portion, and log pull, however it ran into problems with their rear universal joints breaking, but persevered to finish the competition.  Overall the team finished in 30^th place out of 66 teams, and represented the Academy well.

From Left to Right:  Chuck Martin, Steve Reynosa, Seth Green, Wes Ogden, John Barnes, Josh Ladner, Josh Ollek, Kyle Graham, JD Sauer, Colby Smithmeyer, Rich Schooff, MAJ Chad Jagmin, Robbie Meyer, Rich Catello

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