The Lead Truck Auction ends tonight at 9PM. Get your bids in early and witness buggy history in the making from the best seat1 on the course!
- and the only seat that won’t get you chased off by the course marshals ↩︎
Raceday Preview 2025
The 2025 Raceday Preview has been sent out to all of our annual and lifetime members. If its not already in your inbox, its not too late! Drop us a note after you re-up your membership status. If you expected to receive the Raceday Preview and didn’t, please let us know. We’ll be sure to get the Raceday Preview to you ASAP.
The Raceday Preview is the BAA’s signature publication for the year. With only a handful of days of rolls this semester, this year’s races are set to be an incredible test of preparation and skill. Want to know which teams are looking strong and who might surprise everyone at the finish line? We’ll get you up to speed on all the news from this year, and break it down with all the split times from Truck Weekend.
The BAA is doing more than ever to give back to the Buggy community. The Teams Committee is bustling helping teams new and old get new builds running. We’re running more events than ever before for every member of the buggy community from the curious freshman to the most seasoned alumn. Can’t make it to Pittsburgh? Join us for a Raceday Rewatch Party! We have an amazing podcast hosted by Will Weiner and produced by Rachael Schmitt with new guests every episode sharing heartwarming, dramatic, and hilarious stories from every perspective on the sport. Do you have an idea that would make buggy even more awesome? We’ve got a grant program that can help you make that happen! Did I mention that we have a new BAA mascot?
Supporting the BAA supports all of these wonderful things and more, so please renew your membership today. If you want to keep the buggy enthusiasm running for generations to come, please consider becoming a Lifetime Member by supporting our endowment.
See you on the course!
Prelims Lead Truck Auction
The Raceday 2025 Prelims Lead Truck Auction is now live!
There are a few notable changes from last year.
- You absolutely must come to the BAA tent before the end of the previous heat to ride in the lead truck. There are some forms to fill out, payment to verify, and a BAA rep will give you (or your designee) a ticket that you must present to be allowed in the truck. Only the person named on the ticket will be allowed in the lead truck, and no one will not be allowed to ride in the lead truck without a ticket.
- We are including the All Gender division in the silent auction. Depending on the outlook for Saturday, there is a chance that the All Gender division races will be rescheduled to Friday. The results of the silent auction for the All Gender division are final regardless and we will not be having a live auction for the All Gender races.
- If a heat is canceled/rescheduled to Saturday, there will be no live auction for that heat. Whoever won the auction for the prelims heat will be the de-facto winner for what the rules lawyers will note is now a finals heat.
- We have a mobile friendly payment option! Details will be available at the BAA tent.
Bidding will close Thursday at 9 PM. Check the auction page for more details on bidding rules and legal fine print.
Happy bidding, and best of luck to everyone for Raceday 2025!
Last Chance to Apply
The application deadline for the Buggy Enhancement Grants is TOMORROW, January 23 at midnight! If you have an idea for something that would enhance your enjoyment of the sport, this is your chance to receive funding and bring that vision to life!
Submit you grant application here: https://cmubuggy.org/2025springgrant
If you would like tips to strengthen your application, consider reading All About Buggy Enhancement Grants, or reviewing some previously approved grant applications.
RTK GPS Bill of Materials
Real Time Kinematic GPS has been a popular topic in Buggy Enhancement Grant proposals. As more teams are expressing interest in building out their own data loggers, I wanted to share some info on two proven systems that will allow you to get centimeter level accurate data from the buggy course.
This quality of data opens a lot of opportunities, and I’m sure we’ve still only seen the tip of the iceberg. Drivers can clearly see the differences in their line between rolls and quantitatively compare the rollouts. Mechanics can see where and how much energy is lost in different parts of the course to fine tune the steering configurations and tire treatments. Pushers can automatically collect split times and even drill down into technique and how much power was delivered during a transition shove.
If this has you feeling inspired, I hope you’ll consider applying for a Spring 2025 Buggy Enhancement Grant. Applications are due by midnight on Thursday, January 23rd.
Arduino Based System
This system was developed by the CMU Robotics Club. Detailed documentation can be found in the project GitHub: https://github.com/CMU-Robotics-Club/rtk-datalogger Note that some soldering will be required. For specifics on where to purchase components and other tips and tricks for getting started with RTK, please refer to the Onboarding Doc.
I would have liked to recommend purchasing a ZED-F9R for the built in accelerometer and ability to integrate wheel rotation and steering input sensors, but that might require changes to the PCB design and updates to the firmware.
| Part | Cost |
| Seed Studio RP2040 | $4 |
| SparkFun ZED-F9P | $250 |
| GNSS Antenna | $73 |
| USB Breakout Board | $5 |
| SD Card Reader | $4 |
| OLED Board | $14 |
| USB-C Battery Pack | $20 |
| SD Card | $12 |
| PCB | See GitHub |
| Total | $382 |
Raspberry Pi Based System
This system does not require any soldering. We’re working on building out a set of scripts to automate the setup, post processing, and gathering logs from a fleet of devices over WiFi. Keep an eye on the project GitHub and reach out if you are interested in the beta. For specifics on where to purchase components and other tips and tricks for getting started with RTK, please refer to the Onboarding Doc.
| Part | Cost |
| Raspberry Pi Zero W 2 | $18 |
| ZED-F9R Dead Reckoning Pi Hat | $290 |
| GNSS Antenna | $73 |
| USB-C Battery Pack | $20 |
| SD Card | $12 |
| Total | $413 |
Special Thanks
I want to thank Anish Singhani and Delaynie McMillan as the original authors of the Buggy Enhancement Grants that made this possible and for the incredible amount of work that RoboBuggy and Radio Club put into establishing and maintaining the RTK base station on campus.
Thank you to all of our Golden Goose Lifetime Members who have donated to the Buggy Endowed Fund and made Buggy Enhancement Grants possible.
Thank you, Robbie, and Lewis, for helping me put together all the pieces for this BoM.
Thank you to everyone who has already submitted their Spring 2025 Buggy Enhancement Grant applications! If you haven’t submitted yours yet, applications are due by midnight on Thursday, January 23rd.
Spring 2025 Buggy Enhancement Grants Open!
It is time to submit your ideas for Buggy Enhancement Grants for the spring semester! We have over $12,000 available for this round of funding. This money belongs to you as a member of the buggy community, to enhance your enjoyment of the sport! If you have ideas that you think will make buggy better, we want to hear from you, please apply here!
Submissions are due by midnight on Thursday, January 23rd. The committee will complete its initial review on Friday, January 24th, and applicants will have 1 week to respond to the committee’s feedback before the final vote.
Last semester we saw $3723 allocated towards composites testing, expanding the Essential Build Book (while building DG’s first buggy!), improving shop safety, and improving the safety of existing buggies.
For more details on the program, a summary of previously approved grants, and tips from the committee on how to write a stellar grant application, please read All About Buggy Enhancement Grants.
If you would like to support this program, please consider donating to the Buggy Endowed Fund. Your gift will help perpetually fund this grant program and keep the buggy hype rolling for generations to come! A donation of at least $1000 to the endowment is recognized on our placard in the University Center and with a lifetime membership to the Buggy Alumni Association. There is no shortage of excellent project proposals coming from the community, so please consider supporting this program. Join us Now!
Funding for Safety and New Builds
The Buggy Enhancement Grant Committee, and the BAA have two new options for teams that would like additional financial support.
If your team has not rolled a new buggy in the past 4 years, the BAA will reimburse up to $500 of build related expenses. This applies to new and ongoing builds. Reach out to Diya Nuxoll <diyanuxoll@cmubuggy.org> if you are interested in taking advantage of this funding!
Existing buggies have been granted up to $200 for improvements to the harness attachment system. This Buggy Enhancment Grant includes funds for 10 buggies, with the option for some discretionary funding for tools and bulk purchases. Reach out to Wade Gordon <wadegordon@cmubuggy.org> if you are interested taking advantage of this funding.
Even if neither of these apply to your team, reach out to the BAA Teams Committee if you would like help finding sustainable sources of funding for your team, need advice to support your build, or need to find an extra set of hands for a critical work session.
Last Call for Buggy Enhancement Grants
The application window for Spring 2024 Buggy Enhancement Grants is closing Sunday night! This is your last chance to submit your application before rolls. Get your application in early, and take a well deserved nap Sunday afternoon. If you have any last minute questions or would like someone to proofread your proposal, please reach out to any BAA Officer on Discord!
Submit your grant application here!
For more information about Buggy Enhancement Grants, including tips from the committee on how to strengthen your grant proposal, the actual text of previously approved grant applications, how to access shared resources from previous grants, and how you can support this program, please read All About Buggy Enhancement Grants!
The committee’s initial review is scheduled for Thursday, Sept 19. Applicants should expect to receive their initial feedback and any questions from the committee by Thursday evening. The final voting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept 26, and we expect for the committee’s decisions to be sent out that evening.
Thank you to everyone who already submitted their application!
Buggy Enhancement Grant Applications Closing This Sunday
Apply here! https://cmubuggy.org/2024fallgrant
There are 6 days left to apply for a Buggy Enhancement Grant for Fall 2024! There is $12,000 available in this semester’s funding pool. This money belongs to you as a member of the buggy community to help make the most of your buggy experience! Applications are open until Sunday night. Don’t wait, get your application in today!
If you are looking for inspiration, for your grant proposal, you can view previously approved grant applications here. For your one stop shop to learn everything there is to know about Buggy Enhancement Grants including tips from the committee on how to strengthen your grant proposal, please read All About Buggy Enhancement Grants! If you have any questions or would like early feedback on your proposal, please feel free to reach out to any BAA or Sweepstakes officer on Discord.
Thank you to everyone who already submitted their application!
Apply here! https://cmubuggy.org/2024fallgrant
Fall 2024 Buggy Enhancement Grants Now Open!
The start of the fall semester is right around the corner, and with that a whole new year of buggy! I hope you’re ready to hit the ground running, and brimming with ideas to make the sport faster, safer, and more fun!
Applications for Fall 2024 Buggy Enhancement Grants are now open! We have a whopping $12,000 available for this round of funding! This money belongs to you as a member of the buggy community to enhance your enjoyment of the sport. If you have ideas that you think will make buggy more enjoyable for you, your team, and the greater buggy community, we want to hear from you!
The deadline to submit applications is Sunday, September 15th.
Apply Here: https://cmubuggy.org/2024fallgrant
Keep an eye on your news feed for announcements about brainstorming and grant writing sessions. If you would like to get early feedback from a member of the committee to give your proposal the greatest possible chance of receiving funding, please feel free to reach out on the BAA Discord.
Submissions open today and are due by Sunday, September 15th. The Buggy Endowed Fund Committee will meet on 19th to give you feedback and ask questions about your proposals. Applicants will have 1 week to respond to committee feedback before the final vote on September 26th.
Last year we received 23 grant proposals from 10 different organizations, and funded 11 projects for a total of $5,853.66! Details about these projects can be found here.
Please feel free to take inspiration from these suggestions from the Buggy Endowed Fund Committee:
- Improve the experience of driving a buggy by improving visibility, safety, or the quality of the roads.
- Improve the quality of life for the people that help support buggy around the course with a warming hut, covered storage, or better tools (ie. higher flow leaf blowers).
- Make a new addition to the BAA’s historical data by professionally digitizing old photos or course footage, buying software to upscale low resolution photos and videos, or hiring a professional to capture an event.
Proposals can even be specific to your team. Please include some details on how the community as a whole will benefit from funding your project. For example, you might share documentation of your process, publish a video, or give a talk summarizing your results. You might build something to collect better data during rolls, test out a new material, or design a wheel mold that can be shared among teams.
Apply Here: https://cmubuggy.org/2024fallgrant
For more information about Buggy Enhancement Grants, including tips from the committee on how to strengthen your grant proposal, and the actual text of previously approved grant applications, please read All About Buggy Enhancement Grants. If you have any comments or suggestions to improve the Buggy Enhancement Grant program, please fill out our feedback survey.