Wheaton College Makes Its First-Ever Entry into Baja Racing Competition 2026

History of Wheaton's Baja Team

Founded in 2024 by Abby Craw, Luke Fugere (’27), Drew Burkhart (’25), and Asher Jones (’27), the Wheaton Baja SAE team is preparing to enter competition for the first time after establishing a strong leadership structure and technical foundation. The team is organized into three engineering subteams—Suspension & Steering, Drivetrain & Ergonomics, and Frame & Brakes—each responsible for subsystem design and system integration. Leadership for the 2025–2026 academic year includes Abby Craw, Luke Fugere, Sofia Tavarez (’27), and Auden Spencer (’27). Since Fall 2025, the team has met weekly to advance CAD development, ensure rules compliance, and validate design decisions.

As a first-year competitor, the team initially faced the challenge of defining a clear roadmap. However, following Abby’s internship with Polaris, the team gained exposure to industry-standard vehicle design. These insights played a critical role in the decision to formally enter the Baja SAE competition and accelerated progress toward a competition-ready vehicle.