The 21XT season marked a major step forward for our program, with consistent podium-level pace across all three events. The team opened the year in Marana, Arizona with a 2nd place Endurance finish en route to a 3rd place overall event result, two bests in team history. In our home race in Maryland, we finished 3rd in overall dynamic despite an unfortunate early end to our endurance race. The season finished in South Carolina with a statement performance: the team earned our first event WIN in over a decade, dominating the Hill Climb and closing out the weekend with a 4th place overall finish. Behind the scenes, we continued strengthening our engineering process, making clearer design decisions, and improving manufacturing quality. With more time dedicated to structured testing, we were able to identify problems quickly, refine performance, and arrive at each event better prepared. That work was a key reason the 21XT became our most competitive and consistent car in years.
Highlights:
6th Place Overall
2nd Place Endurance in AZ
3rd Place Overall in AZ
2rd Place Hill Climb in MD
3rd Place Overall Dynamics in MD
1st Place Hill Climb in SC
The 20XT had a record breaking season, with a Hopkins best 6th place overall in California topped only by a 5th place finish a few weeks later in Pennsylvania. The team recorded the highest ever endurance finish in the fall, finishing 5th in Michigan, and taking home 2nd in hill climb, another team record. The team took our renowned industry level design process to the next level with fully changing to a loaded half-shaft in the rear and using rigorous analysis to fully utilize CNC capabilities to lightweight components across the car. We hit the ground running with manufacturing and had the car kicking dirt by early March and continued to train hard until the first race day. All of the hard work paid off with the most successful season the team has ever seen against better and better competition across the board.
Highlights:
5th Place Overall
3rd Place Hill Climb in CA
3rd Place S&T in PA
5th Place Overall in PA
2nd Place Hill Climb in MI
5th Place Endurance in MI
The 19XT continued the success seen with the 18XT, achieving back-to-back 10th place finishes against 150+ different teams. With custom torque limiter, inboard front brakes, and the addition of the new Kohler Engine requirement, the team instituted a rigorous industry-like design process to optimize both the car’s design and the team’s design cycle. This resulted in a car finished months earlier than previous years, allowing for more than 30 hours of system-level testing and driver training, which showed in competition results, culminating in the team’s highest overall placement so far.
Highlights:
6th Place Overall
2 Consecutive Top-10 Finishes
3rd Place in Design Presentation
8th Place in Hill Climb
100+ Miles Driven in Endurance
The 18XT built upon the team’s previous 4WD vehicles to decrease weight while increasing performance, durability, and maneuverability! It features a novel overrunning front differential and an electronic shifter. The team completed more testing and validation than ever before, proof testing on-car components, while pushing others beyond their limits to analyze their failure modes. Reestablishing our position as a top 10 team in the world, it was clear that our hard work paid off!<
Highlights:
8th place Overall
1st place in design presentation
8th place in sled pull
44 Endurance laps in Arizona
Successfully completed Tennesse suspension and traction course
Received +100 bonus points overall for use of 4WD system
The 17XT was the team’s 2nd iteration of their 4WD system and got to compete in the Louisville, Kentucky event! With a brand new custom front differential and anti roll bar, the 17XT’s traction and maneuverability performance was a hugely improved. The 17XT was the JHU Baja’s first 4WD car to go through technical inspection and pass 4WD check at competition – a huge step for the team!
Highlights:
4th place in sales presentation
17
17th place in maneuverability
Received +100 bonus points overall for use of 4WD system
As JHU Baja’s very first 4WD vehicle, the 16XT marks a turning point in the team’s history. Due to the 2020 dynamic competitions being cancelled, the team didn’t get a chance to see the 16XT perform, but the robust design was outfitted with a data acquisition system and put to the test during multiple drive days.
The team made landmark progress this year by taking home 8th Place Overall in California and joining the ranks of the 11x as a top-ten car! Some of the key features of the 15x included more durable, manufacturable components and putting a stronger emphasis on testing.
California: 8th Place Overall (3rd Place In Sales)
