FORT WORTH – High school students from across the gathered at Texas Motor Speedway in preparation for the start of the 2016 Solar Car Challenge. Twenty-two high schools represent this year’s field of competitors that will venture cross-country beginning Sunday, July 17.  The Solar Car Challenge will depart from the Northwest ISD Administration building, just west of Texas Motor Speedway, and the trip concludes on Saturday, July 23 in Mendota Heights, Minn., outside Minneapolis.

Event Recap

High school solar car teams took the first steps in preparing for their 785-mile cross-country venture. Students began preparing their vehicles for the scrutineering portion of the competition – where cars are inspected to ensure it meets all the rules.

Teams take part in two days of scrutineering beginning Friday before starting the solar car race on Sunday, which will take them across six Midwest states. The event, which first started in 1995, is designed to help motivate students in science, engineering and alternative energy. Students learn how to plan, design, engineer, build, race and evaluate roadworthy solar cars.

The Highlight

The teams participating in the Solar Car Challenge were each presented with a “Honor The Blue” during a special ceremony. The decal, placed on all the carsparticipating in this year’s race, honors the five Dallas police officers killed during last Thursday’s shooting as well as a show of support to law enforcement.

“We had ‘Honor The Blue’ Day because of the events that have taken place in Dallas and also because of the wonderful support we have from local police, county sheriffs and highway patrol,” Solar Car Challenge President Dr. Lehman Marks said. “There is not one jurisdiction that we go through where we don’t have the support of the police. They are excited to be a part of this and we are pleased to ‘Honor The Blue.”

Quotable

“We are very proud, this being the 21st year of a national event hosted by the Solar Car Challenge. We are excited because over those years we have seen the growth of the teams and their capabilities – the solar cars getting better all that time. I’m impressed because there were 32 teams that wanted to do this race and we think all 22 here will qualify. That’s twice as many that have ever done a cross-country race with us. We have 161 schools in 32 states taking part in this, with 400 schools on a waiting list to come into the program. This is the top project-based STEM in the country and we are very proud of Texas Motor Speedway’s support to make this all happen.” – Solar Car Challenge President Dr. Lehman Marks on the growth of the event since it began in 1995.

“It’s interesting to see the ways other people live around the country, meet other cultures and make new friends. The competition itself is very fun as well. It’s a competition itself but it is very friendly. It’s not who wins, it’s based on helping each other and working towards a common goal of racing your solar cars.”  – Tottenville High School (Staten Island, N.Y.) senior Joseph Demarest on getting to visit with students from across the country.

“It’s about all the information I learn. It makes it a whole lot better since my friends are doing it with me. I’ve learned a lot about cars and since I want to be an engineer in college it helps a whole lot with my general understanding.” – Byron Nelson High School (Trophy Club, Texas) senior Ryan Taylor on the learning experience provided by the Solar Car Challenge. 

Video Link 

Click here to view and download b-roll and interviews from today’s Solar Car Challenge Media Day at Texas Motor Speedway.

Starting Lineup

All Saints Episcopal School (Fort Worth, Texas)

Animas High School (Durango, Colo.)

Ben Barber Career Tech Academy (Mansfield, Texas)

Byron Nelson High School (Trophy Club, Texas)

Choctaw Central High School (Choctaw, Miss.)

DeSoto High School (DeSoto, Texas)

Devon Preparatory School (Devon, Pa.)

Frontier STEM High School (Kansas City, Mo.)

Greenville High School (Greenville, Texas)

Harmony Science Academy (Brownsville, Texas)

Harmony Science Academy (El Paso, Texas)

Harmony Science Academy (San Antonio, Texas)

Heroes Alliance (Detroit, Mich.)

Houston High School (Houston, Miss.)

Liberty Christian School (Argyle, Texas)

Palmdale High School (Palmdale, Calif.)

Presidio High School (Presidio, Texas)

Prosper High School (Prosper, Texas)

Tottenville High School (Staten Island, N.Y.)

Ulster Boards of Cooperative Education Services (Port Ewen, N.Y.)

Western High School (Davie, Fla.)

Walnut High School (Walnut, Calif.)

The Route

Day 1 – Fort Worth, Texas to Ardmore, Okla. (126.1 miles)

Day 2 – Ardmore, Okla. to Ponca City, Okla. (123 miles)

Day 3 – Ponca City, Okla. to Manhattan, Kan. (143.8 miles)

Day 4 – “Display Day” in Manhattan, Kan.

Day 5 – Manhattan, Kan. to Fremont, Neb. (129.9 miles)

Day 6 – Fremont, Neb. to Worthington, Minn. (142.6 miles)

Day 7 – Worthington, Minn. to Mendota Heights, Minn. (120.4 miles)

TOTAL: 785.8 miles

Fast Facts

This is the 21st edition of the Solar Car Challenge and the 10th time the competition has featured a cross-country tour.

The Solar Car Challenge has 161 high school solar car projects in various stages of development in anticipation of an upcoming solar racing event. Teams are located in 32 states, Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.

The team driving the most miles accumulated over the six days of racing will be declared the winner.

The purpose of the Solar Car Challenge is to provide a level playing field for high school solar car teams. Newer teams generally enter the Classic Division, which requires participants to use less expensive conventional motors, lead acid batteries and less efficient solar cells. Older teams enter theAdvanced Division based on their use of more expensive technologies, advanced aerodynamic bodies and exotic batteries. The new Electric-Solar Powered Division seeks to bring reality to solar car racing by incorporating a stationary solar array and a two-passenger vehicle capable of urban driving.

Teams seeking admission to the event must register its vehicle and demonstrate that their solar car complies with all the rules during a qualifying process known as scrutineering. In cross-country races, teams are licensed in Texas as experimental vehicles and carry liability insurance.

Story and photos courtesy of Texas Motor Speedway Media Relations