Clouds clear for sunshine to power solar challenge
by Paul D. Matson, reporter

    Texas with its hot summer days and oppressive sun would seem like the perfect place to begin the Green Mountain Energy, 2001 Winston Solar Challenge car race, but this was not the case in Austin (actually Round Rock).

    The low cloud cover and a light mist helped to slow the kick-off of the race.

    Once the race got under way, however, the clouds cleared and the cars began to perform as expected.

    Solar machines left the starting gate approximately every 5 minutes.

    While vehicles are allowed to pass each other, contestants are not permitted to draft (following closely to the rear of another car to reduce wind resistance).

    The race, which started in 1995, is open to high school students around the world.

    Although students must design and construct virtually every part of the car, they may seek advice from industry engineers and specialists.

    In the first leg of the race, the Houston Solar Race Team, from the Houston Vocational School, Hous-ton, Miss., began in third position.

    “We overtook the first two cars in the first 20 minutes of the race,” Keith Reese, sponsor and teacher for Houston’s Sundancer car said. “After that we just kept gaining ground.”

    Marshall Molen, from Mississippi State, the team’s advisor said, “By the time we were out of town, we were in first place.”

    The cars average speeds between 30-40 mph, but with the wind behind them, the Mississippi team had a top speed of 45.

    In accordance with the rules, if a competitor is still on the road at 5 p.m., that car must be trailered and taken to that day’s stopping point.

    The first day, the final goal was Texas Motor Speedway in north Fort Worth.

    Because of the weather and other problems during the course, the lead car only reached Hico, approximately two hours away.

    The second segment of the race stopped in Ada, Okla.

    Nine teams from around the United States (two from Texas) and a team from Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, competed in this event.

    The race lasted nine days, covered 1400 miles and ended in Columbus, Ind.

    As the ninth day ended, the Houston team had retained its lead and won the race.

    In odd-numbered years the race is cross-country, and in even numbered years the event is on the closed track at Fort Worth’s Texas Motor Speedway.

    Today’s solar cars are self-sufficient, using only sunshine to fuel their electric motors and photovoltaic battery cells to store power.

    Dr. Lehman Marks initiated the Winston Solar Challenge, named for the Winston School in Dallas, in 1993.

    The school began this educational program with the intent of bringing workshop opportunities to schools across the country and promoting alternative energy and raising student interest in the sciences as well as promoting public awareness of these issues.

    The main sponsor of this event is Green Mountain Energy.