The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Solar Car Club won the Spirit of the Event Award at the American Solar Challenge Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) in Austin, Texas, during the last week of June.
SIUE claimed the Spirit award for persistence and dedication throughout the event which endured through high temperatures of 108 degrees and track temperatures exceeding 140 degrees.
SIUE finished eighth in a field of 12 teams by completing 10 laps and finished ahead of Georgia Tech, Northwestern University and Missouri S&T. Oregon State University (193 laps) won the event with Illinois State University (192 laps) as runner-up and Iowa State University (191 laps) finishing third.
The University of Texas at Austin hosted the event which ran Monday-Friday, June 24-29, with the final three days spent racing at the Circuit of the Americas. The event drew record crowds for a FGSP track event estimated at 1,600 people.
The FSGP is a biannual track race that is held on grand prix or road style closed courses. This unique style of solar car racing is open to teams from around the world and tests the limits of the vehicles in handling curves, braking and acceleration. Driver training, passing strategy, and quick pit stops are crucial for teams racing in FSGP.
Graduate Student and Rockford native Amy Sunderlin was the team captain. She was joined by:
Alumni: Alex Wolff of Ferguson, Mo., and Derek Freiburghaus of Columbia, Ill.
Seniors: Nate Fox of Columbia, Ill., Travis Powers of Houston, Texas, Mark Matthews of Swansea, Marc Wilmsmeyer of Edwardsville and Matt Boone of Belleville.
Juniors: Zachary Crawford of St. Elmo, Ill., Louie Neumeyer of Millstadt, Nic Meyer of Bloomington and Curtis Mueth of St. Peters, Mo.
Sophomores: Edwardsville’s Lisa Smith.
Sunderlin was most proud of her group’s teamwork. “Despite the outrageous heat, lack of sleep, and 18-hour days, we persistently worked together towards getting our car on the track every race day,” she said. “I am proud to be a part of a team that continues to strive to complete our goals, despite the challenges it takes to accomplish them.”
One of those challenges was the time crunch spent in three days of preparation, called “scrutineering.” The car had to meet a variety of structural, electrical, mechanical and functional standards before being allowed on the track. The crew beat the clock in several instances to address issues or make repairs to stay in the race.
Despite the competitive nature of the event, the teams were extremely collegial. “We all helped each other out whenever we could,” Sunderlin explained. “We received help from Oregon State, where they gave us critical fasteners that we needed to pass scrutineering. I worked with Missouri S&T to help them with their battery management coding problems. There is a very long list of people who helped us, and who we have helped, and it happens across all of the teams.”
Dr. Andy Lozowski, assoc. professor of electrical and computer engineering and faculty advisor on electrical systems, and Steve Muren, manager of electrical and computer engineering, served as advisors.
“The students deserve all the credit for building the car and getting it to the race.” Lozowski said. “This has been years of work and fund raising that they had to do. The entire car was designed and built by the students.”
He believes the future is bright for the Solar Car Club. “We have a number of team members who have been through a race and are here to stay for another two or three years,” Lozowski said. “They will be able to train the incoming students and get the solar team through the next two or three races. One problem in the past has been continuity in the team.”
Lozowski said the most challenging part of the endeavor is funding. “Our students could build a nice looking car that is way more competitive, but that costs about $300,000.” he noted.
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SIUE Solar Car Team Wins Spirit Award at Formula Sun Grand Prix
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