IAB Baja Special- Inspired Karters from BITS Pilani
BITS Pilani’s Team Inspired Karters is geared up for BAJA 09. The team started its preparation for BAJA 09 in February with the team members of BAJA 07 orienting the new team members with the different aspects of vehicle designing and fabrication.
The team is divided into different areas of sponsorship and marketing, suspension design, steering design, chassis fabrication, powertrain and braking system.
The 15 team members making up the team comprise of students drawn from various disciplines- mechanical, civil and electronics and electrical engineering. This multi disciplinary structure aims at gaining input from all branches as the process of making a vehicle is not in isolation of any particular discipline.
“ Our team members not only have knowledge on engineering subjects but also on finances and economics which we have gained through the electives offered in our curriculum. The wide range of subjects cover all the aspects from designing, cost optimizing to marketing a vehicle, thus effectively mirroring the process by any automobile company while introducing a new vehicle in the market”, comments the Team Leader Abhimanyu Shirwalkar.
The team also has the responsibility of matching up to the expectations that come with the country’s best private engineering college. Unfazed by this, they believe that working on the basics along with disciplined work is the way to success.
BAJA 09 holds tremendous importance as many of the team members are keen to join the booming automobile industry in India. They want to be a part of the endeavor to make India one of the top 5 automobile production countries in the world. (Hats off, that's the spirit we're looking for)
The focus of the team has always been in working out a design and then manufacturing the components in the BITS workshop or customizing the components of commercial vehicles according to their needs. This is against the conventional approach of working out the vehicle design against standard available products , which reduces innovativeness. In pursuit of making every part as their need, the team members have had to endure numerous 12 hour trips to Delhi and Jaipur.
“ The students have worked tirelessly throughout the year. The customized hub fabrication in Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) is probably a first for any team in India”, says the professor in charge, Mr Amit Kumar Singh.
The team name , Inspired Karters, draws inspiration from the herculean effort of making a vehicle in a resource scant place like Pilani. They believe in the motto-“ Inspiration breeds motivation which leads to success”
Their ATV has a ground clearance of 18 inches which allows the roll center and the center of gravity to coincide, thereby providing the excellent vehicle stability. ITP mudlite tires , popular with BAJA teams abroad, have been imported from USA.
The steering system used is of the sports car, Lotus Elise (Awesome Guys!! :). The vehicle chassis is light in weight with Aluminium being used as the body covering material.
The gear ratio of 40 mm/rev is much higher than those available in Indian cars. This provides the driver with more a sensitive steering, very essential for an All Terrain Vehicle.
Team Inspired Karters look forward to succeeding in BAJA 09 and brining laurels to BITS Pilani.
IAB Comment- Well said. These guys have what we call a paper tiger. The specifications add up to something colossal on paper, but will it work in reality? We hope these guys are testing and logging even the intricate data, because if they can go with a car that can last for the entire competition's duration, they might come back with the trophy!
But that's just what we think. We wish you luck and prosperity and thank you for participating on Indian Autos Blog.