 |
By Richard King
U.S. Department of Energy |
|
FLAGSTAFF, ARIZ., July 20, 2003 -- What a great day for racing and what a great day of racing. The cars were ready to go this morning from Albuquerque at 9 a.m. after having a full day to recharge their batteries and make any necessary repairs on Saturday. We had our best start so far and the fastest day of racing.
The route took us up through Gallup, N.M. and Flagstaff, Ariz. The solar cars had to climb the whole way, more than 4,000 feet in altitude. Still, they made record time.
Here are the times into Gallup, about 130 miles from Albuquerque:
| Rolla | 11:57 a.m. |
| Principia | 12:04 p.m. |
| Minnesota | 12:14 p.m. |
| WMU | 12:16 p.m. |
| Arizona | 12:21 p.m. |
| Columbia | 12:26 p.m. |
| McGill | 12:27 p.m. |
| Queens | 12:33 p.m. |
| Kansas State | 1:01 p.m. |
| Cal Poly SLO | 1:15 p.m. |
| Waterloo | 1:15 p.m. |
| Toronto | 1:26 p.m. |
| Purdue | 1:32 p.m. |
| Iowa State | 1:45 p.m. |
| Pennsylvania | 1:57 p.m. |
| North Dakota | 2:14 p.m. |
| Auburn | 2:17 p.m. |
| Cal Sol (Berkeley) | 2:17 p.m. (26 seconds behind Auburn) |
All but two teams made it to the Gallup checkpoint by the time I left for Flagstaff at 2:20 p.m. That's the best day of racing we have ever had. Stanford and Texas A&M were just down the road. Stanford had a short in their electrical system. Their huge array (12 sq. meters because they have a two-person car) produces 100 volts. The higher the voltage the more likely a short can occur.
 |
| Photo contributed by Richard King |
| University of Arizona at the Flagstaff checkpoint minutes after they arrived at 5:52 p.m. on July 20 |
The route through western New Mexico and Arizona is beautiful. The dry gulches, tabletop mountains, red rocks and western scenery made for a pleasant drive. Here and there a thunderhead could be seen off in the distance. By early afternoon a few thunderheads drifted over the route and provided the race's first heavy rain. Although brief, the rain produced some tense moments for the Arizona team.
About half way to Flagstaff from Gallup, Arizona was keeping up a fast pace. Remember, they had come in fifth at Gallup, about 25 minutes behind Rolla. Interstate 40 is being repaved and where the road crew finished the day before there was about a three-inch drop from the new pavement to the old. It was raining and a puddle of water formed right at this drop. Arizona's solar car hit it at 50 mph and lost control. Two tires blew out, but otherwise the car was not damaged. They changed the tires, inspected the car and were soon on the way again. However, they lost time and are now two hours behind Rolla for the day and reached Flagstaff in ninth place. The team was still upbeat when I saw them in Flagstaff.
Here are the times for the ten solar cars that reached Flagstaff this afternoon:
| Rolla | 3:58 p.m. |
| WMU | 4:20 p.m. |
| Principia | 4:36 p.m. |
| Columbia | 4:54 p.m. |
| Minnesota | 5:01 p.m. |
| Queens | 5:12 p.m. |
| Kansas State | 5:49 p.m. |
| Waterloo | 5:51 p.m. |
| Arizona | 5:52 p.m. |
| McGill | 6:12 p.m. |
The climb took its toll on some teams but helped the teams with the most powerful solar arrays. Western Michigan University (WMU) moved up and arrived second. Queens, with the most powerful array because they have a two-person car, also moved up a couple places by the time they reached Flagstaff. However, Waterloo continues to be plagued by faulty motors and McGill lost an hour when a wire harness shorted.
Last night penalties from Rolla to Albuquerque were levied. Teams who ran a stop sign, red light, or were noted for speeding were given penalties. Also, the officials found a couple incorrect times that were inadvertently recorded. The result was slightly different official start times this morning. Remember to check the Web page for official overall results.
It was a great day of racing. Rolla is probably halfway to Kingman tonight. They should arrive at Barstow, Calif. tomorrow by mid-day.
REPORTS FROM THE ROAD
| 
