The TuksBaja Vehicle Team is a student-led engineering group at the University of Pretoria, dedicated to designing, building, and racing off-road vehicles for the global Baja SAE competition.
Since 1999, we’ve grown into a multidisciplinary team of passionate individuals, from aspiring mechanical engineers to logistics coordinators and business strategists, united by one goal: engineering excellence under real-world conditions.
“To empower students through practical engineering, team collaboration, and the pursuit of design excellence—one bolt, one weld, and one race at a time.”
Our mission is to create a competitive, robust, and innovative Baja vehicle every year, while providing students with hands-on experience that bridges the gap between theory and practice. We aim to apply classroom theory to real-world challenges, foster leadership, creativity, and critical thinking, promote South African engineering talent on the global stage and build lifelong skills in teamwork, resilience, and technical excellence
We don’t just build a car, we build a learning platform. Each year, the team goes through a full engineering development cycle:
Our final product is an off-road vehicle that tackles mud, rocks, hills, and obstacles in a gruelling international endurance race against 100+ global universities.
Although we’re proudly based at the University of Pretoria, our work and impact go far beyond South Africa. We regularly compete in the Baja SAE International Series, representing not just our university, but our country. We’re one of the few African teams to consistently compete internationally, standing toe-to-toe with other global engineering faculties.
“You don’t just learn to be an engineer—you become one.”
Joining TuksBaja means working under pressure, solving real problems, and owning your work. From machining a suspension arm to pitching to sponsors, students graduate with more than just a degree, they leave with industry-level skills, global exposure, and a strong alumni network.
Become a part of the journey, as a team member, mentor, sponsor, or fan. Help us drive the future of South African engineering! This year we are involved in the Baja SAE international competition held in America where we will showcase and race the TuksBaja car 23 in multiple endurance tests.
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