Solar Car Team Places Second at Grand Prix
In early July, Principia’s solar car team, composed primarily of students who had just finished their freshman year, competed in the 2019 Formula Sun Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, a three-day track race where cars vie to complete the most laps. For most of the team, this was their first competition. But that didn’t stop them from coming in second among a field of competitors from much larger schools, including Northwestern, Georgia Tech, Montana State, the University of Florida, and Purdue. Here are the standings for the top three teams:
- Polytechnique Montréal: 230 laps (788 miles)
- Principia College: 195 laps (668 miles)
- University of Kentucky: 153 laps (524 miles)
In addition, Principia won the Electrical Design Award. And for the first two days of the race, the team logged the fastest lap on the 3.4-mile track—five minutes on Thursday and 5:11 on Friday.
Along with delivering an early success, the Grand Prix gave the team a chance to bond with each other and meet several supporters who visited on the day the pits were open to the public. The team’s next charge is to bid farewell to the current car, Ra X, and design and build the next one, Ra XI.
To receive updates from the team, email prinsolar@gmail.com.