MIR Welcomes Tiger Baja to Grill N Thrill - Speedway Digest

The University of Memphis Society of Automotive Engineers Tiger Baja team is gearing up for a major international competition in Oregon next week, but will make a stop at Memphis International Raceway (MIR) at the Saturday, May 23, Grill N Thrill event before they head off.

The Tiger Baja team will be one of 100 university teams from across the country and the globe that have been tasked with the design and construction of a Baja-style off-road buggy that will compete in a four-

day competition at the Washougal MX outside Portland, Ore., that will test the vehicle’s acceleration, hill climb ability, maneuverability and rock crawl ability.

“It’s super exciting because last year we placed 37th in the race and many other cars didn’t survive to finish the four hour endurance race,” said Karrah Jones, treasurer of the University of Memphis SAE chapter and member of the Tiger Baja team. “Our goal is to get closer to finishing in the Top 25. We’re going in a little blind this year because while we are able to practice in some flat fields, there’s nowhere around that duplicates the conditions we’ll be facing.”

The SAE Tiger Baja, part of the U of M’s Herff College of Engineering, will have essential pieces of the buggy on display and team members available for questions during Saturday night’s Grill N Thrill at MIR.

“We’re proud to be supporting this next generation of automotive engineers and enthusiasts,” said Pam Kendrick, VP and GM of MIR. “In fact, in order to give the Tiger Baja team an extra boost before heading to Portland, we’re going to donate a dollar from every admission at Grill N Thrill to Tiger Baja to aid their efforts to show what Memphis ingenuity is all about.”

Grill N Thrill will combine hot laps on the drag strip, foot-long hot dogs from King Cotton and cool games and activities for kids all with a family friendly admission price.

“The activities on the track normally are pretty intense and competitive,” Kendrick said. “We wanted this weekend to be different. This weekend we’re going to cut loose and have our version of a cookout and make sure all members of the family come out and have a good time.”

Gates for Grill N Thrill will open at 6:30 p.m. The drag strip will be open for hot laps from 7-11 p.m. For the kids there will be tricycle drag races, a figure-8 course, a bean bag toss, a water balloon toss and other games with prizes, courtesy of MIR.

Admission for racers is $20, $10 for spectators and children 12 and under are free. Active duty military receive half price admission to Grill N Thrill, and every admission gets a free Quarter-Mile Dog and Sweet Tea or Lemonade to drink.

Other upcoming events at MIR include the Midnight Madness on May 29 and Catch the Outlaws on June 5-6. For more information regarding MIR, please visit www.RaceMIR.com, call (901)-WOW-Race or follow us at www.Facebook.com/RaceMIR or @RaceMIR on Twitter and Instagram.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.