Solar Flare Newsletter
Principia Solar Car Team
Good evening, everybody!
The Principia Solar Car Team has just qualified to compete in Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) by completing all ten scrutineering stations with Green! And we will be starting in seventh position!
What is scrutineering you might ask? Scrutineering is a somewhat made-up word for the task of “scrutinizing” the “engineering” of a solar car. There are ten stations of scrutineering: Array, Driver Registration, Driver Operations, Lights & Vision, Body & Sizing, Electrical, Battery Protection, Mechanical, Dynamics, and Support vehicles. Green means the team is ready to compete in both FSGP and the American Solar Challenge (ASC). Blue means the team can compete in FSGP but not ASC. So Blues need to be turned into Greens before ASC! Yellow means there is something wrong that must be corrected before the team can take the track in FSGP, and Red means that there is something significantly wrong that must be corrected. As the newest team member, I had a lot of these questions, too, when I joined the team.
Today was spent almost exclusively at the brake testing station completing our last step in qualifying for FSGP which begins tomorrow. FSGP is a three day track race that is used as the qualifying event for the ASC. Each team needs to complete either 128 laps on one day or 192 laps over two days in order to successfully qualify. In addition to that, each driver must complete at least 33 laps to finish their qualifications to be a driver for the ASC. The team that has the most laps completed by the end of FSGP is the team that will earn the starting position for ASC.
The mechanical and electrical teams especially have put a lot of work into making Ra9 race ready, and despite the challenging nature of the past couple days, the team has high hopes for the qualifier. We have really pulled through as a team and are confident in our ability to do well together.
Tonight our team joined with the University of Michigan Solar Car Team for a group dinner. Michigan hosted the BBQ under the shade of their semi-trailer. Good food and camaraderie were shared by all.
Since tomorrow is the beginning of FSGP, tonight is a “race night” with much activity in the pit area in preparation for tomorrow’s race! As i write this, the generator is humming while it powers the electrical charger that is preparing our lithium batteries for the race. In addition, team members are seating tires to replace those worn out during the braking tests. Radios are charging, the solar car body is being waxed, and lunches are being prepared with great enthusiasm and joy in the air.
Can’t wait to see my first race tomorrow! As always, don’t forget to follow our progress tomorrow on our Facebook and Twitter pages!
- Solo Luminous
Principia Solar Car Team
Hello Solar Enthusiasts :)
We have experienced another milestone in Principia Solar Car history. Today marks the first time that Principia has qualified on the opening day of qualifying for the American Solar Challenge! We began on time at 10 am in 7th position on the starting grid. Jackson started the day’s driving, and with the exception of a driver/tire change, and a quick 2 minute fix, we drove the entire 8 hours that the track was open. After five and a half hours in the car, Jackson had driven 122 laps, easily qualifying himself as a driver, and just 6 laps shy of qualifying the team for the American Solar Challenge road event. Nicole drove for the remainder of the day, completing a total of 48 laps, including the final 6 laps the team needed for overall qualification, and qualifying herself as a driver as well. We ended the day with 170 laps and stand in second place behind the University of Michigan. Jackson Walker, our lead driver, was interviewed this evening for a podcast for a St. Louis area radio station. When we have the details of how to listen to this podcast, we will share them with you.
We are expecting the second of the three day qualifier to proceed smoothly tomorrow as we learn more about this particular track and its effects on our car.
Until tomorrow...
- Solo Luminous
P.S. - Tonight during dinner, the team held one of our almost daily gratitude sessions. One of the students shared how grateful they were for our donors whose support make experiences like these possible. Thank you so much. You know who you are!
Principia Solar Car Team
Good morning solar enthusiasts!
As I am writing this, the sun is peeking over the horizon while our array soaks up the gentle rays. The mechanical team is working diligently to make sure our tires and fairings are ready to take on the drive to Vincennes, Indiana. Our electrical guys are monitoring the array, spraying it with water periodically which causes it to sparkle happily in the morning beams. Coolers and snacks are being restocked, ice being acquired and people who shaded the array are doing pushups. :D
Yesterday was a good day for the Principia Solar Car Team. We woke up early to get the car and team over to Cuyahoga National Park for the starting line up. Once set up there, the team worked until quite literally the last 30 seconds before departing. We piled into the vans as the solar car pulled away and off we went.
Unfortunately, it was a bit of a cloudy start, but as the day progressed, we started to see the sun more. Jackson started as our first driver and with the exception of stopping for a train (about two minutes) and a stop for quite a few geese crossing the road (about 30 seconds), we had a relatively uneventful first five and a half hours. Since we are an international team, we relayed speed limits and target speeds to Jackson in kilometers/hour! I don’t think that was really the reason why we did this - but it met our human needs.
About 30 miles outside of the Dayton (Ohio) Checkpoint, we did a driver swap and Nicole got in. She drove to the checkpoint with no problems. After a 45 minute stop at the checkpoint, we drove for another two and a half hours before stopping for the evening. Our logistics team did a great job finding us a place to stay on quite short notice, the Riverside Inn in Lawrenceburg (Indiana). In fact, the Appalachian State solar car team was also there.
We are in third place currently and Appalachian State holds fourth place, so it will be fun to see how close the two teams stay throughout the next couple days. We have 166 miles to the stage stop in Vincennes where we will see all the teams again. It should be a short day, but the friendly competition never ends. As always, check us out on our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates throughout the day. Until later!
Solo Luminous
Principia Solar Car Team
Hello Solar Enthusiasts :)
Yesterday (Sunday) was a yet another great day for the Principia Solar Car Team. We left Aurora, Indiana, at 8:50am for the 166 mile drive to Vincennes, Indiana. This particular stage stop was in George Rogers Clark National Park. The history behind this park lies with the namesake of the park - George Rogers Clark. He was an American frontiersman who played a vital role in preventing the British and Native Americans from driving out the Americans in the area west of the Appalachians. He and his troops surprised the British and forced them to surrender Fort Sackville at Vincennes. The monument to George Rogers Clark is one of the first monuments to be built outside our nation’s capitol and certainly one of the largest.
Jackson drove the whole way to the national park and did an awesome job as usual! Vincennes was a stage stop, which means all the teams are supposed to arrive there by 6pm. At 9am the following day, each team leaves one minute behind the other, depending on what place each team is in. Michigan was the first to arrive, followed by Dunwoody, Principia, then Appalachian State. Other teams came in throughout the day. We impounded our batteries after 15 minutes of charging and had the car on display for people to see. We charged our batteries for two hours that evening and at the ASC update meeting held after charging, we learned that the Principia Solar Car Team was in second place after the the first stage! Quite exciting!
For dinner, some wonderful local church members took us out to dinner at a delicious pizza place called Monicals. After dinner, two of them took team members back to their welcoming homes for the evening. With the exception of ⅔ of the electrical team, Garrett, and Joe, everyone went to one of the houses to swim before bed. We had an absolutely wonderful time goofing off together in the water.
We woke up this morning to quite the thunderstorm which caused a little bit of concern. However, the rain ceased before the time the race started and we are all grateful for that. We will definitely send another update along later! Until then, feel free to check us out on Facebook and Twitter!
Solo Luminous
Principia Solar Car Team
Hello from Desloge, Missouri,
After getting a good night’s sleep at the homes of two local church members in Vincennes, Indiana, we were treated to wonderful homemade breakfasts. Although some of us were only there for 8 hours (11pm – 7am), this generous gift of providing food and lodging provided a genuine sense of “home” to the team.
The early crew arrived at the car just in time for 15 to 25 minutes of heavy rain, but their spirits were not “dampened” and they set right to work preparing the car in the trailer. We left the start line at 9:01 (race time) holding onto second place by only one minute.
Jackson was driving when the car suffered an electrical problem that required him to stop the car and pull off the road. The team quickly and safely handled the situation and the car was on its way again.
Today’s checkpoint was held at Grants Farm in St. Louis and the team received a rousing cheer from the local Principia crowd. It was great to see so many Prin supporters come out and greet the team despite the typical St. Louis summer heat. We even had several members of the crowd help the team get the car ready to continue with the race.
Nicole Gerber drove Ra9 out of the checkpoint, as Jackson had nearly reached his maximum six hours of daily driving. The car stopped a number of times this afternoon due to another electrical problem, but once again the team jumped into action and Nicole and Ra9 were back on their way. We made it as far as our current location in Desloge Missouri, before we had to stop for the end of the race day. The car has been prepped tonight and we will continue to Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield in Republic, Missouri, tomorrow morning. The team is looking forward to another day of Solar Car racing tomorrow. Thanks again for all the support and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
- Solo Luminous
Principia Solar Car Team
Greetings solar enthusiasts!
Today we finished the second stage of the American Solar Challenge!
This morning the team woke up to dark clouds and somewhat heavy rain. Not ideal for any kind of racing as you might imagine. We left the hotel for the parking lot that we had finished in the day before. We promptly set up tents so we could pull the car out to do our morning checks. Every morning the team does a series of checks on the car to make sure that everything is working correctly. Gratefully, all the work the mechanical and electrical team did the night before was finished and the car was ready to go.
Due to the rain and heavy clouds, we did not have enough light to charge in the morning. This was especially tough because the route ahead consisted of many hills which forces us to consume a ton of energy. Looking at the radar before we left, we were able to see that the storm ended about 60 miles south of our position. As we started driving the sky began to clear and the sun slowly revealed itself from its shroud. After we made our first turn 80 miles into our route, we emerged into an area with wide open sky and very strong sun. This strong sun continued to power us the rest of the day.
It sounds like this was a great day, and don’t get me wrong, it really was, but it did come with its fair share of unexpected challenges. There were a few unforeseen electrical challenges that needed to be straightened out on the side of the road today. Four members of the team lifted the array for the electrical team to dive into their nest of wires and batteries. Soon the problem was diagnosed and Jackson was back on the road. Later we had to stop once more because multiple bumps in the road had caused one of the electrical connections in the car to break loose. Gratefully, that was an easy fix. After these problems were addressed, we were back on the road flying over the rolling hills of southern Missouri.
When Jackson reached his allotted six hours in the car, we did a very fast driver change to get Nicole behind the wheel. Again, she finished the day strongly in beautiful Ra9.
Nicole rolled into the stage stop here in Republic Missouri (15 minutes from Springfield) this afternoon in 4th Place. We dropped a place as a result of the stops we made on the side of the road. As of right now we are behind Michigan, Toronto, and Dunwoody. Tomorrow we will be leaving from Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield just minutes behind these teams. We are looking forward to another great day of racing!
-Solo Luminous
Principia Solar Car Team
Greetings solar enthusiasts!
Today we started the third stage of the American Solar Challenge! Due to morning clouds and rain, we didn’t get a great charge to start the day, but we did have good sun for the race day. We were supposed to start in 4th position, but two of the teams were not in position in time – so we started in 2nd position, right behind Michigan. We did have to stop a few times for repairs, a tire change, and one driver change, but we were the 5th team to come in to the Topeka Checkpoint. We left the checkpoint at 4:40pm and drove 47 miles before we ended the day at 5:54pm. Here (in the middle of nowhere), we are getting a decent charge from the sun from 6 to 8pm. Tonight we had a team dinner at a restaurant near our hotel in Holton, Kansas. Two of our newest team members, Jake Williams and Andrew Huddleston, said that in addition to the great team experience they are having, they are especially grateful for the ability to sleep on a bed most nights of the race – and for the team dinner tonight.
We are all so grateful for all the support we have received and continue to receive. We had a Christian Scientist near Cleveland let us use his house for several of us to sleep in before we headed to Pittsburg. Two Christian Science families put up the entire team for the night in Vincennes, IN, and they and other church members fed us lunch when we stopped, dinner after charge time, and breakfast early in the morning – we are so grateful.
At several other Checkpoints local Christian Scientists, Principia alumni, and supporters have provided us with homemade treats that always hit the spot. Today in Topeka Jackson’s mother was there to see here son get out of the Solar Car. In St. Louis we had a huge crowd – it was GREAT – and Nicole’s parents were there to see their daughter get in the car to start driving.
I know there will be more to follow – several folks from Rapid City church are planning on seeing us at the finish in Hot Springs, SD. The day after the race ends, a CS Church in Lincoln, NE, is providing us with dinner, putting us up in their church, and bringing us breakfast before we leave.
Our truck that pulls our Solar Car trailer died just a month before the race and two VERY generous donors made it possible for us to purchase a new truck. We don’t know what we would have done without their generous support – THANK YOU!!!!
We are looking forward to a good run tomorrow heading in to Nebraska.
Principia Solar Car Team
Greetings solar enthusiasts!
As I mentioned yesterday, we were looking forward to a good run today heading into Nebraska. We had a good run!
We started this morning at 8:54am after a great morning charge at the abandoned Kickapoo Truck Stop. We then drove the 105 miles to the checkpoint without stopping, except for our chase vehicle, which needed to stop after the flashing light bar was blown off by a passing semi. Needing to stop and re-secure the light bar caused us to call Lead to play the role of Chase and guide Ra9 the final distance to the Homestead.
A few minutes after arriving at the Homestead National Park, a torrential downpour hit the checkpoint, drenching half of the team as we scrambled to water proof the car. Despite the rain, it was a successful checkpoint and we left on time to continue our journey towards Scott’s Bluff.
There were a few pretty cool things about yesterday’s drive. Firstly, it was the first day in a few days that we didn’t make any stops except for a driver change. Second, of the days we’ve been on the road, it was the farthest we’ve gone so far – 303 miles! And the most exciting part of yesterday is that Jackson broke the record for the most miles driven by a single driver! He has 4,600 miles in Ra9, and he is only 7 hours away from breaking the record for most hours in a car by a single driver. Great job, Jackson! That’s pretty special.
We also wanted to extend a thank you to all of the observers who have ridden with us. Rita, Allen, Louise, Dan, Chloe, Daniel, and Yuji. It’s been great to have every single one of them with us so far.
We are currently at mile 207, which leaves 250 miles for today’s drive. Nicole is going to start the day and Jackson will bring us in to Scott’s Bluff this afternoon. We will see what the day holds for us! As always, feel free to check us out on our Facebook (Principia Solar Car) and Twitter (@prinsolar) pages.
Principia Solar Car Team
Greetings solar enthusiasts!
Today we completed the third stage of the American Solar Challenge.
We woke up to a cloudy sky, forcing us to start this morning at 8:53am after once again receiving no morning charge before continuing our long journey. Weather conditions did not improve throughout the day, however, we completed the stage entirely on solar power. Only five of the original 20 teams have done so. We began our day with Nicole driving 92 miles, followed by Jackson taking us the remaining 160 miles into Scott’s Bluff – our third stage stop. Overall, we had a very smooth trip without any stops other than a quick driver change of 2 minutes and 10 seconds.
After finishing the stage, the team was greeted by long-time Principia Solar Car supporter, Warren Clinton, who treated us to a delicious dinner of pulled-pork sandwiches as we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and gathered some much needed energy from the sun during the evening charge.
We have only one day left, a quick sprint into Hot Springs, SD, just over 157 miles – if the weather allows. That said, we always appreciate your affirmation of our reflection of the One Light as infinite rays to propel Ra9 to Hot Springs!