Hello, Solar Friends!

The generator is humming and the flood lights are streaming across another roadside car park on the Stuart Highway. The nose of the car is jacked up while team members change the tires, check the brakes and the suspension, and make repairs to the fairings. The batteries and the array have been tucked in for the night. Those who aren’t working on the car directly prepare for further racing by cleaning out the vans, seating spare tires, cleaning up from dinner, and finishing staking tents. The Principia Solar Car Team is settled in for another night on the road.

We had a successful second day of racing, completing a total of 540 kilometers in 8 hours (racing from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with two half-hour media stops), an improvement over yesterday’s 530 k in 8.5 hours (racing 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with one half-our stop). We made it through the Control Points in Dunmarra and Tennant Creek with no trouble, and we’re not far from our next stop: Barrow Creek.

Around mid-afternoon, we encountered a common Australian road hazard: a dust storm. This particular cloud of dust was roughly 250 kilometers wide (by race officials’ best estimates) and engulfed our caravan in a heavy dusty haze for much of the trek between Dunmarra and Tennant Creek. There wasn’t much wind, but the dust filled the air and veiled the horizon. It diffused much of the sunlight, and the car barely cast a shadow.

When we stopped around 2:00 in the afternoon for a quick roadside mechanical check, we found the array coated with a thick film of grime and had to clean it before continuing down the track. During the dust storm, and for a while after emerging from it, we had to reduce our speed because of the limited amount of energy the array was pulling into the battery pack. But we kept a steady pace throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

Near the end of the day, we began noticing some concerning voltages in one module of the battery pack, and we pulled over to have a look under the hood, so to speak. From the telemetry, we knew there was a problem with a sensor that had been knocked loose. Tom and John pulled out the battery pack (Tom still wearing his driving shoes and helmet) and began snipping and soldering. They worked quickly, but our time was running out. When 5:00 rolled around and the car was not yet rolling, we knew we had found our stopping point for the night.

We believe the battery problem has been fixed and will need only minimal tinkering in the morning, but we’re remembering also that while Ra 7 has had plenty of race experience, her battery pack, BPS, and telemetry system are all new installments that may still need to be tested and tweaked. But that’s what racing is for! We’re testing this technology for a larger purpose than just winning the race, and we’re participating in this challenge with the goal of glorifying God, not winning. We’re satisfied with the progress we’re making and everything that we’re learning, regardless of how the race ends.

As it turns out, we’re not quite holding our position – we’ve slipped in the standings from 6th to 7th – but we’re not far behind our nearest competitors, the Aussie team Sunswift, who are camping just 4 kilometers up the road. Rumor has it, though, that they didn’t overtake us until after 5:00, so we may be able to pass them in the morning before they even get started. (Teams are allowed a 10-minute window after 5:00 to find a suitable place to stop for the night, but they must then start the same number of minutes after 8:00 the next morning.) Tomorrow we’ll hit Barrow Creek for a ten-minute media stop, then Alice Springs, which marks the halfway point. We’re excited to see what other challenges and lessons tomorrow will bring.

Thanks to one of our observers from Adelaide, we got another important reminder this morning about who we are as a team and what we’re really working towards. The observer was impressed with the loving interactions and displays of genuine Christian character he found on our team. He told one of our faculty advisors, he’s been away from his church for about a week and a half because of the race, and he came to our team feeling “thirsty,” as he put it. The observer joined us for our Sunday evening church service and again Monday morning as we read the Christian Science Bible Lesson, and he said he left our team feeling refreshed. This sort of evidence proves to us that we are accomplishing our mission, regardless of how the car is running or how well the battery pack is charging.

When you think about our team journeying through the Outback, please keep this thought of us in mind: not that we’re trying to beat other teams or fight against the elements to complete a race, but that we’re finding our way into every situation in which our unique character as competitors is needed, useful, and welcome. Thanks for all of your support!

Cheers,
Karen

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