BACK TO THE FUTURE – Solar cell-powered cars may not be the wave of the future, but the technology and efficiency they require is expected to push the envelope for auto engineering. Above, students and teachers from the Dell Winston School Solar Car Challenge gather for a group photo at the Texas Motor Speedway for this year’s solar car race. The Ouray County team is pictured in the back right, just in front of the trailer. (Courtesy photo)
FT. WORTH, Texas – After four long days on hot asphalt under the blazing Texas sun, Ouray County’s Sunshine Mountain Traveler pulled across the finish line in fourth place in the Dell-Winston School Solar Car Challenge. The event was held last week, July 5-10, at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
Sunshine Mountain Traveler, which includes Ridgway graduate and Team Captain Bryce Heywood, Ridgway sophomore Cole McKenzie, Ridgway junior Evan Tilley, Ouray junior Aaron Daughtry, and advisor Tom Johnson, completed a total of 233 laps, or 349.5 miles, around the oval in their solar-powered racecar, dubbed the Steel Demon.
The team was bested by the Houston Solar Race Team from Houston, Miss., who completed a whopping 330 laps for a total of 495 miles. The Winston School’s Solar Car Team from Dallas, Texas, came in second at 312 laps (468 miles), and Solar Knights Racing from Plantation, Fla., came in third with 291 (436.5 miles).
The Ouray County team has placed in the top four every year since 2002 except for last year.
In addition to maintaining their high rankings and bringing home yet another trophy, the team was honored with an extra award this year. Team advisor Johnson won the Randall Murphy Award, presented to the solar car team teacher who best demonstrates the spirit of solar racing. Johnson and his team have been known to stay up late hours aiding and assisting other teams in getting their cars running.
“This race is not a dog-eat-dog kind of thing, it’s about getting everybody out there to participate,” said Britta Johnson, who has attended races with the team in the past.
Long days on the racetrack require the team to be up at 4:30 a.m. so that they can be at the track by 6 a.m. to get the car out charging in the sun. The conditions are extreme – 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade on July 4 this year – though team members are too busy with their tasks to notice, according to Johnson.
The team received funding from numerous donors, both individuals and businesses from Ouray County and Montrose, to attend the weeklong event in Texas. “We couldn’t have done it without them,” Johnson said.
Sunshine Mountain Traveler’s car is equipped with 12 BP-585 solar panels and eight batteries that power a 1.5 horsepower electric motor.
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