The race against daylight

The UK solar car, Gato Del Sol III, sits without its solar paneled top in the garage of the D.V. Terrell Building, located behind Funkhouser Building. Photo by Emily Coovert | Staff

By Laura Clark

After 30 hours of racing, the sun was good to the UK Solar Car Team.

The team, comprised of all students in the College of Engineering, competed in the Formula Sun Grand Prix race at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, Texas on June 5, completing 393 laps and placing second out of nine teams.

“Our car … was prepared for this race,” said Mark Taylor, a mechanical engineering senior. “Because of that, we had the most reliable car on the track.”

Taylor, the race manager, was in charge of getting the car ready for the race, organizing the team, handling paperwork and making sure the car did its best.

The fastest lap time of the Gato Del Sol III, the UK solar car, was two minutes, 33 seconds. UK finished behind the University of Minnesota, whose fastest lap time was two minutes, 20 seconds.

Taylor said there were no major mechanical or electrical problems to hold the team back during the race.

“Of the 30-hour race, our car was in the pit for only 35 minutes for driver changes and one tire change,” Taylor said.

Gato Del Sol III was built during the 2007-08 school year and was driven in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge, placing 11th.  The UK team is planning to build a new model, Gato Del Sol IV, before their next race, the 2010 North American Solar Challenge.

Members of the solar car team stand around the car, which came in second during the Solar Car race on June 5. The car runs on power generated by the solar panels, which cover the entire top of the car’s body.       Photo by Emily Coovert | Staff

Taylor said competing in these two races has given the UK team more knowledge on how to better prepare for the “grueling” event.

“We plan on finishing our new car … before this event so that we can utilize all that we have learned into making a car that will easily conquer the open road,” Taylor said.

The entire qualifying process and race was tracked on Twitter, including video of a pit stop.

The UK Solar Car Team members who went to Texas were Taylor, Nick Such, Eric Ellis, Brian Stucker, Sam Nicaise, Kassy Lum, Jimmy Frilling, Kevin Wieman, Krishna Prayaga, Matt Deye, Steven Hughes, Mike Scharfenberger and Keith Etheredge.