Capstone Project Heads Off Road

The beginning of the capstone project was lying in a corner of the Cheryl and Robert Gross Engineering Design Center. John Vanderwey, a mechanical engineering senior from Phoenix, Arizona, took the partially fabricated chassis and welded it with his passion for off-road racing, automotives, and working with his hands. The result? A four-wheel drive race vehicle built to compete in the Society of Automotive Engineers Baja competition in Washington, a senior capstone team, and a revitalized Baja Lions Racing Club. 

In spring 2022, Vanderwey asked Matt Siniawski, professor and chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department, if he could take the chassis home and promised to have a functional vehicle by fall 2022. Siniawski agreed, under two conditions: that Vanderwey assemble a capstone team and resurrect the LMU Baja Club, which had been dormant. The mechanical engineering student agreed immediately and began his Baja car-building journey. 

“Off-road racing is fun and is something I enjoy doing myself,” said Vanderwey, who began racing in high school and who comes from a family that has been competing in desert races for the last 30 years. “So when I had the opportunity to do that in college, I jumped on it.” 

In fall 2022, Vanderwey delivered: he developed a functional Baja Car, assembled a capstone project team, and revived the Baja Lions Racing Club as president to ensure the project’s longevity. 

“Baja Lions Racing will continue the legacy we are establishing,” said Vanderwey. Executive members of the club include senior mechanical engineering majors Cameron Hagey, Sean Hornchek, Sunil Klein, and Alec Britt and finance major Ryan Meade. 

Vanderwey is grateful for the team and his family’s support on the project. Help from his father Nick Vanderwey ’88, who has decades of experience designing and building race trucks, was crucial. He also found lessons he learned from courses in machine design and dynamics particularly useful for the project. 

“The passion to learn and to share is amazing,” said Emin Issakhanian, associate professor of mechanical engineering and the faculty advisor on Vanderwey’s project. “There is a lot involved in learning to build a car, and they have never backed down. John has done a great job sharing his experience and knowledge, and the others have stepped up to contribute equally.”