2005 North American Solar Challenge
Reports from the Road
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July 21, 2005 - On to Winnipeg!
They say that to do something great in life it has to have significance. The significance comes from making a difference, either in your life or the lives of others. The solar challenge I am blessed to be out here witnessing has both. This event is turning students into leaders, and disbelievers into believers.
Two years ago when most of these students joined their respective solar car teams, little did they know how hard the task ahead of them was going to be. From the long hours designing and building a car from the ground up, to the demanding requirements necessary to race across two continents in 10 days, solar car racing is hard. For those with the right stuff, it has built character and leadership - qualities that will change their lives for the better. That’s significant. To power a car at highway speeds all day, day after day, on sunlight is a technological accomplishment that many find hard to believe. What these teams are proving out here is that solar electricity really works and energy efficiency pays off. Considering the consequences of billions of people around the world burning fossil fuels at an ever-growing rate, demonstrating technologies that can make a difference is significant.
Day Five: on to Winnipeg. After two days with morning clouds and rain, we had a day with clear skies and lots of sun. The sun makes the cars run faster and smoother, but there is less drama when the teams just drive the speed limit. For the most part, that is what happened today with the leaders. As Minnesota, MIT and Michigan raced through Fargo, N.D., on up across the Canadian Border to Winnipeg, the distance between the teams didn’t change. Minnesota was 34 minutes ahead of MIT in Fargo, and 22 minutes ahead of them in Winnipeg. In Fargo, MIT was 2 minutes ahead of Michigan. At the border they were in the customs station at the same time, and when they reached Winnipeg, MIT was four minutes ahead. Virtually dead even after more than 1,500 miles! This is the closest rayce I can remember. The one change that did occur within the top five was between Waterloo and Rolla. At Fargo, Waterloo was 20 minutes ahead of Rolla. But about 40 miles from the border Waterloo took a wrong turn and got lost. By the time they got turned around, Rolla had passed them. As Waterloo desperately tried to catch up, they wore down their batteries just short of Winnipeg. We expect to see them in to the Stage Stop on Friday before 8:30 a.m., putting them about an hour behind Rolla for fifth place.
The arrival times for the four teams who made it to Winnipeg before the end of the day are: Minnesota 4:11 p.m.; MIT 4:34 p.m.; Michigan 4:39 p.m.; and Rolla 5:37 p.m. The highlight of the day was the border crossing. The Canadian customs officials were very helpful, and they were as excited to see the solar cars as we were. They had made a separate lane for the solar teams to make the process as easy as possible. Each team had prepared a list of their team member names, so it only took a couple minutes to get processed. We all took pictures, including a Winnipeg TV station. The Stage Stop in Winnipeg is at Red River College. They have a beautiful green front lawn where the solar cars park as they come in. This is the end point for the second leg that started in Weatherford, Texas. No one will go any further until the rest of the teams catch up over the next two days. Once all the teams have arrived they will start together on Sunday, July 24 for the third leg from Winnipeg to Medicine Hat, Alberta.
I am looking forward to tomorrow and talking to the rest of the teams. After being with the leaders for the past several days I have missed all the drama that has gone on with the others. I have heard about gallant efforts by everyone, but have been unable to witness them. For example, Auburn has been performing better than they ever have in the past in spite of some battery problems. And I hear Red River College has been doing very well for a rookie team. However, a couple teams are struggling. Queens and Kansas State have both had some major problems and are furthest back. On Friday I should have more news – so be sure to check back!
Reporting from the road, |
