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By Richard King
U.S. Department of Energy |
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AMARILLO, TEXAS, July 16, 2003 - Today was a grueling day across Oklahoma and into Texas. Historic Route 66 desperately needs repair through this part of the country. Shake, rattle and roll as we call it. The bumpy road vibrates and pounds the solar cars. Parts come loose and parts sometimes break. That was the case with Waterloo yesterday, and today Western Michigan University (WMU) and the University of Minnesota both broke suspension parts and had to stop for repairs. These breakdowns were unfortunate because both Western Michigan and Minnesota were catching up to the University of Missouri-Rolla car in the morning.
These are the times for the leaders as they came into Edmond, Okla.
| Rolla |
9:44 a.m. |
| WMU |
10:24 a.m. |
| Queens |
10:30 a.m. |
| Minnesota |
10:32 a.m. |
| Columbia |
10:39 a.m. |
| Principia |
10:50 a.m. |
I talked to the WMU team at Edmond and they said their car was running flawlessly. No flats or breakdowns. They should have "knocked on wood" because not too far from Edmond their rear suspension broke. Minnesota was also running well, but by the time they drove 140 miles and pulled into the Sayre, Okla., checkpoint, their rear suspension was starting to come apart. Instead of going further, they decide to stop and make repairs.
These are the times at the Sayre checkpoint:
| Rolla |
2:04 p.m. |
| Minnesota |
3:04 p.m. |
| Principia |
3:27 p.m. |
| Queens |
3:37 p.m. |
| Columbia |
4:03 p.m. |
Please visit the standings page for more complete results.
Please note that I am trying to stay up with the leaders and therefore leave the checkpoint before any other cars come in. If I don't leave within and hour or so, the solar cars go so fast I can't catch up to them. I do plan to get more information about the rest of the cars on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Albuquerque, N.M.
All of the cars will eventually reach the Albuquerque staging checkpoint before we start the third leg as a group at 9 a.m. on July 20. (I believe Rolla should reach Albuquerque by Thursday night and have two days to rest.)
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| Photo contributed by Richard King |
| Oklahoma news media surround the Rolla solar car and team. |
As a group the teams are really great this year. The students are hard working and so determined to drive the whole route. They are also supportive of each other. I see them talking and sharing experiences with each other at each stop.
There are many ways to go through school, and life, for that matter. Some people sit on the sidelines and complain about what is wrong with the world, but never do anything about it. Others take initiative. These students have the right stuff because they are out here on Route 66 demonstrating solutions. They are tomorrow's leaders.
One of the objectives of the ASC is to increase public awareness. We are getting great media coverage. At the Edmond checkpoint, every TV news channel in Oklahoma City was waiting for the solar cars to come in. And the media was again waiting in Amarillo, Texas, when Rolla pulled in at 5:55 p.m. Two news channels proceeded to carry live interviews with the team for the six o'clock news.
I talked to the Rolla team tonight here in Amarillo. They were feeling pretty good. They are about an hour ahead of last year's pace and they said they ran the whole day without using much of their battery at all. They can cruise at 55 mph just on solar energy alone. The teams' eight square meter solar array is producing 1,500 watts of power, enough to power the car that fast, which is certainly an improvement from last year. Now let's see if they can maintain their lead over the Rocky Mountains.
REPORTS FROM THE ROAD
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