“What’s your major?” Antonio Novelo asks at tabling events, then follows with, “then I will let you know where you fit on in the team.” When VMS brought its latest build to Party at the Park and set it in the center of PSU’s South Park Blocks, that exchange unfolded beside the chassis. Students stepped forward and named their disciplines; Novelo assigned work in response: a master’s student in book publishing could edit marketing materials; a pre‑med student could design workout plans and evaluate driver ergonomics for endurance races; a psychology major could address focus under competition; business capstones could prepare the formal reports, because the team “needs to run like a small business.”
Finance Major Ben Soderquist, Electrical Engineering Major Anthony Dinh, and Pre-Law student Xander Volk, tabling during MCECS Winter club mixer
Back in the lab, pressure shapes the build. Two cars occupy a fourth‑floor room where space runs tight; during a recent meeting, roughly 30 students worked around the frames. A year earlier, the club had dropped to one member. With too few people to sustain Formula competitions that often require 30 to 50 participants, Novelo and faculty advisor Robert Paxton entered Baja Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) instead, an off‑road series held on a motocross track. Baja allows teams to compete with five to 10 members; the reduced scale brought Viking Motorsports back into competition while recruitment rebuilt its numbers.
Mechanical Engineering Capstone students, Toby Greene and +1 working on the front suspension of the Viking Motorsports SAE Baja 2026 vehicle
Mechanical capstone students handle the frame and suspension. Two electrical engineering teams design the battery and control systems for next year’s electric vehicle. Judges require a formal business report and presentation before any car reaches the track, and they score engineering and financials alongside performance. As Novelo explains, the event is “primarily an engineering competition,” which means calculations and cost assumptions must withstand scrutiny before speed matters.
Mechanical Engineering Capstone student, Toby Greene, cutting steel pipe for the suspension of the Viking Motorsports SAE Baja 2026 vehicle
Money constrains every step. Foundation funds and direct faculty contributions cover part of the budget; small and medium businesses donate small tools, parts, and materials or provide access to specialized equipment and software. Sponsorship has lagged. “You need money to get sponsorship,” Paxton says. “But you can't get sponsorship without having money.” Materials, travel and fabrication space require cash. The team once had a trailer and now must secure another before May.
Students viewing Daimler Truck North America Autonomous Electric Semi - Viking Motorsports Tour of Daimler Truck North America
Even with those limits, activity multiplies. Three capstone teams — one mechanical and two electrical — work simultaneously, and students are “actively working on the design” of next year’s electric vehicle while the current car undergoes testing. Meetings with business faculty integrate capstones on a per-term basis. Through outreach programs to local schools, team members connect with middle and high school robotics students whose competitions mirror SAE’s design‑and‑pitch format. On campus, Formula One watch parties fill engineering auditoriums; race simulators under development aim to draw students from spectator to participants. Each effort feeds the lab, and each new student tightens the space further.
Visibility has not kept pace with growth. Patterson spent a year and a half at PSU before he learned the club existed. Novelo now manages social media between classes, work, and VMS operations. Engineers, Patterson says, do not always know “how to actually approach people for money, or get the word out there.” Other universities stage formal vehicle reveals and field dedicated marketing teams. Viking Motorsports balances recruiting, building and fundraising with fewer hands.
Viking Motorsports Internal Combustion Formula Car - Oregon International Auto Show
This year raises the stakes. Every three years, one of three national Baja competitions rotates west; in May, the event runs within driving distance of campus, making Viking Motorsports the local entry and marking its first appearance in this competition in more than 20 years. Teams from across the US, Mexico, and Canada have registered. Judges will evaluate engineering and business presentations before cars reach the dirt.
In early May, students will secure the car to a trailer, drive north and unload it at Washougal’s motocross track. The car that only lived in the minds of a few engineers will roll the starting line to compete against 100 other universities. Spectators are invited to line the course and see what collaborative work like VMS’ looks like at speed. And maybe consider where they might fit — on the team, by donating money, tools or space, or along the raceway on May 7th.