A Car Made with Passion Ignited Saemangeum... Inside the University Student Self-Built Car Competition

Over 2,300 Gather in Gunsan Saemangeum for Three Days
Off-road Baja and On-road Formula Races Held
Future Car Talent Unite with Passion
Engineering Society President Min Kyung-deok: "Resources to Grow the Automotive Ecosystem
More Attention and Support Needed to Revitalize the Industry"

Teams participating in the college student homemade car competition held at Saemangeum, Gunsan, are performing endurance driving in the Baja category. Photo by Choi Dae-yeol

"Bring the spanner and parts, quickly!" "Check once more if they went to get them." "Take your time, don’t rush!"

On the 27th, at the Gunsan Saemangeum Auto Racing Circuit, the final day of the annual university student-built car race, a problem occurred with one university team’s car participating in the Baja race. Three people hurriedly gathered to fix the vehicle that had entered the inspection area beside the circuit. They worked quickly, repairing the car with swift hands. Other team members nearby watched quietly, not wanting to burden those fixing the car.

A participating team is repairing a broken vehicle at the inspection station set up outside the circuit in the Baja section of the University Student Self-Made Car Competition. Photo by Choi Dae-yeol

At the same time, about 30 self-built cars continuously circled the course. The car that completes the most laps over rough unpaved roads within an hour and a half earns the highest score. Although the participants major in automotive or mechanical engineering, they are still amateurs and lack abundant resources, so building a highly refined car is not easy. Various teams entered and exited the inspection area due to different issues while competing.

Despite the scorching sun and hot weather, the passion felt inside and outside the circuit was even greater. It was not about overwhelming spectators with loud roars like F1 or showing flashy driving skills like WRC, but the attitude toward the competition was fiercer than any other race. Seo Young-ju, Secretary General of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers, which hosted the event, said, "For students, this is the day to be evaluated for the effort they poured in over the year," adding, "Most students participate in the competition purely out of passion for automobiles."

Officials from the event organizers and endurance racing teams in the Baja category are taking a commemorative photo on the third day of the competition, the 27th.

Baja is named after a place in the United States and originated in the 1970s when student members of the American Society of Automotive Engineers gathered to race cars they built themselves. Off-road car races are still held in deserts and rough terrains with many obstacles. Similar events take place worldwide, including in the U.S., Germany, Australia, and Japan. In Korea, the event started in 2007 and has now become a competition with about 2,000 participants annually. This year, 104 teams from 67 universities attended.

Kim Dong-seok, Vice President of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers and Executive Director at Korea GM, who serves as the organizing committee chair, said, "Many people who participated as students come back as volunteers for judging and event management to feel the excitement on-site even after becoming professionals," adding, "Among car enthusiasts, it is a kind of festival and culture."

At a parking lot near the Saemangeum Convention Center, a Formula endurance racing event was held. Vehicles in the 250cc and 300cc classes and electric vehicle categories were separated. While the Baja race deals with a more primitive form of vehicle, the Formula competition involves more refined technology and greater resources. The cars participating in the Formula race have bodies resembling scaled-down actual race cars and use expensive tires.

This difference is also evident in the drivers’ attire. Many drivers in the Baja race wear military uniforms. Although flame-retardant professional driver suits are suitable for accident prevention, they are expensive. Military uniforms are the most affordable flame-retardant clothing available.

University Student Self-Made Car Competition Formula Division Participating Vehicle

The competition was held over three days from the 25th to this day. On the first day, the size, safety, acceleration, braking, cold-weather performance, tilt, and noise were checked for compliance with regulations. Several teams were eliminated during this process. The Baja race held test runs and qualifying rounds on the second day, while the Formula race held gymkhana events. Gymkhana is a race on a winding course marked by cones. On the third and final day, endurance races were held. Scores were given at each stage and the final rankings were determined by the total score. In the Baja category, Honam University’s Asphalt HU1 team took first place, and in the Formula category, Kookmin University’s Kookmin Racing KF-23 team won first place.

This year, the Korea Automotive Technology Institute, a co-host, provided its facilities for test runs and offered technical consulting. They willingly provided the facilities after hearing that students had difficulties finding suitable spaces for test driving and sometimes had to drive in empty lots late at night. Domestic and international automakers such as Korea GM, Renault Korea Motors, and Toyota Korea/Lexus Korea, as well as parts companies, sponsored the event.

Vehicles and participating teams waiting for the Baja endurance race Photo by Choi Jae-yeol

Although the competition is run with the interest of individual members of the Society of Automotive Engineers and the passion of young people, external support is still insufficient. Before this year’s event, overseas universities expressed interest in participating, but the organizers declined due to inadequate circuit and event facilities.

Min Kyung-duk, President of the Society of Automotive Engineers, said, "Even though thousands of future talents in the automotive field participate with passion, securing sponsorship every year is not easy," adding, "Since this enriches the ecosystem of the automotive industry, which is a national key industry and a major export sector, we hope the government and companies will show more interest and provide support."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.