Hello!

The team is back on campus, and gearing up for an exciting quarter.  After finishing the North American Solar Challenge at the end of July and visiting Banff National Park as a team, the car headed back to campus as the team members headed off to finally start our summer break.

One week of classes have now gone by, and we’ve recruited some great new students to the team who are quickly learning all about the car.  This quarter will give us a chance to put the last finishing touches on the car that were not finished in time for the race, as well as share the car and our experiences with the community.  Many thanks are due to our supporters, and we hope to give as many of them as we can a chance to see the car.  Already, we have been interviewed by KMOV Channel 4 St. Louis (to be aired as part of a segment on “green” energy), and we have outreach events planned in Alton, St. Louis, and within the Principia community.

What does the future of Ra 7 hold for our team?  As of this point, the team has decided that we would like to race the car next October in the 2009 World Solar Challenge, a 3000 km race across the outback of Australia.  While the details have yet to be worked out, the team is excited about this opportunity and has already begun to work on the slight modifications that are necessary to compete in the Australian race.

Thanks again for your support!  Feel free to call or email us with any questions or comments; we’d love to hear from you.

Tom Brownell

Team Leader, Principia Solar Car Team
tom.brownell@principia.edu

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