Sunseeker ready for final day of race
July 25, 2001
Sunseeker Web
site
BARSTOW, Calif. -- Competitors in the American Solar Challenge
will line up in Barstow, Calif.,
Wednesday, July 25, for the final 110-mile leg of the 2,300 cross-country
solar car race that will end in Claremont, Calif. The race began
July 15 in Chicago.
Beginning at 9 a.m. (PDT), race teams will take off at one-minute
intervals. The starting order for the final day of racing reflects
official race standings as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Sunseeker 295 team will take off in 22nd position overall
and third in the stock car class in which the car is registered
for the race. Stock car class leaders are the University of Arizona
car, which will start the final day of racing in seventh place
overall, and Stanford University's stock entry, which is starting
in 17th position. There are 28 cars remaining in the race and
eight of those are in stock class.
Joining the Sunseeker team in Barstow on Tuesday was Dr. Daniel Litynksi, dean of WMU's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He will accompany the team on the race route Wednesday.
The team spent Tuesday involved in repair, recharging and reconnoitering activities. Sunseeker's battery pack took a full charge and team members replaced broken solar cells to put the car in peak condition for the final day of raceing.
A scout team comprised of team strategy leader Erik Pederson; Roger Anthony, the scheduled driver for the final run; Nick Kaiser the chase vehicle driver; and lead vehicle driver Tony Rizzo drove the Barstow to Claremont course on Tuesday. They reported the first 50 miles of the route will be spent climbing, and with 30 traffic lights and heavy traffic along the road to the finish line, the trip will be intense.
For daily updates during the race, go to the Web sites for WMU News, WMU Sunseeker or the American Solar Challenge.
Media contact: Cheryl Roland, 616 387-8400, cheryl.roland@wmich.edu