53 teams compete in final endurance event of India's premier student engineering competition for all-terrain vehicles.
12 Jan 2026 | 310 Views | By Shristi Ohri
The five-day BAJA SAEINDIA 2026 competition concluded today at NATRAX, Pithampur, with 53 teams participating in the final endurance event after successfully clearing multiple rounds of technical and safety scrutiny.
The event, which began with 91 registered teams from engineering colleges across India, saw 55 teams successfully pass technical ...
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The five-day BAJA SAEINDIA 2026 competition concluded today at NATRAX, Pithampur, with 53 teams participating in the final endurance event after successfully clearing multiple rounds of technical and safety scrutiny.
The event, which began with 91 registered teams from engineering colleges across India, saw 55 teams successfully pass technical inspection. Of these, 53 teams qualified for the endurance challenge after completing rigorous safety scrutiny rounds including technical inspections and brake tests over the previous days.
The endurance event was flagged off by senior leaders from the automotive industry and academia, including Mr. James Thomas, Regional Head (West) from Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Dr. Amit Patel, Associate Director at NAMTECH, and Mr. Padmesh Sewda, Program Manager for NPD EV at TVS Motor Company. Mr. Balraj Subramaniam, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, and Dr. K. C. Vora, Advisor for BAJA SAEINDIA, were among the other officials present.
The valedictory ceremony was attended by Mr. Manoj Kumar Madholia, Director (Auto) at the Ministry of Heavy Industries, and Dr. Manish Jaiswal, Director of NATRAX, along with other dignitaries who presented awards across various static and dynamic event categories.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. James Thomas highlighted BPCL's 19-year association with the event, noting the company's role in providing premium fuel and supporting participating teams. Mr. Saurabh Dalela, Guest of Honor, emphasized the importance of such competitions in bridging classroom learning with real-world engineering challenges.
Dr. Arun Jaura, also a Guest of Honor, addressed students about the value of learning from mistakes and the growing importance of AI and IoT in engineering, stressing that the experience gained at BAJA SAEINDIA contributes to developing complete engineers for India's vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
BAJA SAEINDIA is an educational initiative where engineering students design, fabricate, and test all-terrain vehicles. The competition, originally started in the USA by SAE International, has expanded to multiple countries and has grown significantly in India over the years, serving as a platform for young engineers to gain practical experience in automotive design and development.