Hello Solar Friends!
Today was the type of racing day that turns a group of racers into a team. The day began with a thunderstorm in Winnipeg, and our team was tested throughout the run with three roadside stops: a tire change on wet pavement, an unexpected driver change due to electrical issues, and an extended pit stop for mechanical repairs and charging.
This morning in Winnipeg, we debated as to whether we should even bother trying to charge our array. The cloud cover was so thick, we estimated that the fans that cool our battery pack as it is charging would use up more energy than the array was able to collect. But eventually the clouds lifted enough to let a bit of diffused sunlight through, and we were able to charge for a while before the real storm rolled in. Every team dashed for cover with their cars when the rain started, and the Principia team gathered to read the Bible Lesson. By the time we had finished the fourth section, the rain was subsiding. At 9:01am, we pulled out of Red River College on schedule, one minute behind Michigan. Unfortunately, only seven of the fifteen teams traveling with us were able to start on time; many teams chose to trailer their cars right off the bat because of the intense cloud cover and spats of rain.
Driver Peter Chaney led us out, but the rain and wet roads made for difficult driving. Shortly after the start, Ra 7’s right front tire hit a pothole on a sharp left turn and bent the rim. Our pit crew executed a quick tire change—just 14 minutes on the side of the road from the time we pulled over to the time we launched back onto the highway.
We pulled into Brandon, Manitoba, our next checkpoint, around 12:15pm. Peter got out of the car, and Katie Farquhar hopped in for her first road-driving experience. (Katie drove in the qualifier, but she hadn’t yet gotten the chance to log time in the car during the road race.) However, just as Katie was pulling out of the checkpoint, the car’s electrical system started acting up and shutting the car off. The motor cut in and out for about 25 miles, and then we had to make our second roadside stop for the day to check the battery pack. It took us 22 minutes to convince the car to run despite the Battery Protection System’s concerns about low voltages. (The thick clouds certainly didn’t help us there.) Since the car was still acting finicky, we decided to have Tom Brownell, our first driver and Electrical Team Leader, take the driver’s seat.
Ra 7 continued slowly west across Manitoba and into Saskatchewan for a while, but Tom eventually recommended that we pull over to inspect the electrical system again. Not only did we re-check the battery pack, but we also realigned the brake calipers to prevent scrub, got in some good charging, and talked with dozens of curious locals who saw us stopped on the highway. The entire stop took about an hour (Joe would rather I give you the exact number—58 minutes! Less than an hour!), but we still had a couple hours of racing left to go, so well pulled out again with high hopes.
The end of the day was only slightly less cloudy than the beginning of the day, and we chugged along at 25-35 miles per hour until the race day ended. Tonight we’re stopped at a campground in Broadview, Saskatchewan. There are no sprinklers around our campsite tonight, and we look forward to a peaceful night before another big day tomorrow. We need to make it to Medicine Hat (roughly 400 miles) by the end of the race day tomorrow in order to complete this stage. We’re anticipating full sunshine the whole way, but you never know with solar racing. Keep us in your prayers as we dash for Alberta!
Cheers,
Karen
P.S. We do have an updated feature on the website—comments. After reading these emails as blog posts on www.prin.edu/solar, you can respond by writing your own comments (either general comments about the site or specific comments about a particular post). There have already been some comments from Principia supporters, so check them out! And don’t forget to enjoy our nightly email broadcasts at 10pm on Principia Internet Radio (www.prin.edu/radio).
July 20th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Dear RA7 Team,
It makes me proud to be a Principian to read the comments of other teams about your sportsmanship in the race! You’re certainly living up to MBE’s definition of “sun”: “The symbol of Soul governing man, — of Truth, Life, and Love.” As an added bonus, you’re in 2nd place behind Michigan. Quite an accomplishment. Congratulations!
With best regards,
Mary Bothwell
July 21st, 2008 at 4:51 am
Keep on going! You are almost there! You can be proud to say you completed the race with dignity and sportsmanship no matter what your final standing might be. And just think of the memories and life long friends you will have to take away from the experience!
July 21st, 2008 at 7:51 am
Your fans are all with you today and I’ve got a feeling you’ll complete the 400 miles you need to go at or near the speed limit on solar power. Here’s hoping Ra7 shows her true colors in bright clear sunshine across Canada. I think it’s rare in auto racing history that a team has brought a car to a 2400 mile race that’s never run before under its own power and done so well. It’s quite remarkable and shows excellent design, years of experience, and effective prayer. You make Principia shine.
July 21st, 2008 at 7:54 am
You can track University of Michigan live and approximately Principia via: http://solar2.umsolar.com
July 21st, 2008 at 10:09 am
Principia! It took me long enough to find your updates on your site. I have been praying for your team ever since Plano when you rescued the U of Minnesota. What a blessing you have all been to my son (Morgan) and the rest of the Minnesota kids. It was great to see you in Fargo. You looked fantastic and I am still amazed at what you have accomplished without an engineering department. Praise God! Race well today – may you have sunshine and smooth roads.
July 21st, 2008 at 1:40 pm
FYI….This from an email posted on Missouri S&T Team’s blog.
We hope the final standings will have S&T at the head of the middle pack, but there us no way to tell at this point. We are sorry to report that Principia’s amazing run at race leader Michigan will probably fall short, as Ra VII is reported to be 60 miles farther east than S&T. Principia has run a very clean and organized race, and should be considered the event’s best performing team, in our opinion.
Way to go Prin! It is nice to hear such support from the other teams.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:05 am
On July 21, my sister was driving me from Broadview to the airport in Regina at about 7 a.m. and we passed your solar car a few times (we had to stop for gas, etc.). My curiosity was piqued so now that I am back in Yellowknife in the subArctic, I went online to see what you were all about. Way to go! It was a pleasure to see you travelling in the beautiful prairie sunshine on our flat TransCanada highway!