Since every planet spins at a different speed, the gears are built with different ratios: Earth takes about 24 hours to spin once, Mars takes about 24.6 hours, Jupiter spins much faster, and Saturn spins fast too. Because of this, each dial shows the real day cycle of that planet, so the clock doesn't calculate time digitally.
Three first-place finishes may have earned the Baja Racing team the designation "Iron Team," but its members credit the students who came before them for their success. "We succeeded on the back of giants," said team leader Casey Savage '25, a mechanical engineering major in Cornell Engineering. "It's all a testament to how well we pass information down, and how much care is taken to build on the prior years." Maya Chakraborty '27, mechanical engineering major and 2025-26 drivetrain lead, makes adjustments to the previous season's car during a test run at the team's practice track.
Having earned his doctorate from RWTH Aachen University, one of Germany's top technical universities, he quickly established a practical and analytical mindset that would become the hallmark of his executive approach to leadership. The early part of his education was supported by scholarships from the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, which recognized both his academic performance and his commitment to organized, results-driven learning.