Photos from Race Days 2 and 3

July 11

Race Day 4 - Carlsbad, New Mexico to El Paso, Texas  (96 miles)

Up, up up!

After the tremendously flat landscape of the past two days we climbed out of Carlsbad, New Mexico and climbed up toward El Paso, Texas.  Even with our topographical maps we were surprised by the duration of climbing that we did today. The exciting part is that we were the only team (classic OR open) that was able to cover all the miles without stopping to charge our batteries.

With 20 miles left in today’s stage we passed the very impressive car from Houston, Mississippi as it sat waiting for the its charge to come back up. The race was on! With a rest day looming we went deeper into our batteries than we have in the past and arrived at the finish with a comfortable advantage. High fives all around!

On Tuesday we will display our car at the El Paso Science Museum. We will take turns watching the car, enjoying the museum, washing some clothes, and taking a nap.

I’ve become a pro at driving while looking in my rear view mirrors.

- Mark Westlake

July 12

Rest Day - El Paso, Texas

Rest, what rest?

A small “skeleton” crew woke up at the crack of dawn to take the car down to the Insight Science Museum in El Paso. With the cars on display we took turns visiting the Science Museum and doing interviews with the local media. Most of the time we just sat and watched the batteries charge. (Ed. Note: This is far worse than watching paint dry or grass grow.)

The team from Juarez, Mexico was very well supported today and it was fun to see how proud their families are of the team. Juarez is the sister city to El Paso so we had a number of dignitaries from both cities on hand for the display.

Tomorrow we have another 96-mile day that ends in Globe, Arizona. If you want to take a virtual solar car ride, check out the weather in Globe, turn the heat all the way up at home, and sweat along with us. Remember, misery loves company!

Heading for the desert….

- Mark Westlake

July 13

Race Day 5 - El Paso, Texas to Globe, Arizona (96 miles)

I’m a morning person.

Although the “crack of dawn” usually isn’t a problem, today’s 4:00 am wakeup call was a bit harsh. We trailered from the hotel to New Mexico State University for a “ceremonial” start. (These always involve a local dignitary, a green flag, and a lot of pictures.) We drove all of two blocks, picked up the car and drove for two hours to the real race start. After unloading the car we traveled through some of the best scenery of the trip, climbing through some mountain foothills. After reaching the highest elevation we almost coasted the remaining 60 miles to Globe, Arizona.

One of the neat things that happens on a trip like this is that students start to settle into a role, often with specific responsibilities and duties. The crew in the morning runs like a well-oiled machine as they prepare for the cars daily journey.  By 8:00 am every morning we are often sitting around waiting for the 9:00 am start.

On Thursday we have our shortest day yet, only 56 miles. Most of our day is filled with travel as we pass through Phoenix. Our goal is to make sure we end with a full battery pack for the 176-mile day on Friday.

Only three more days.

- Mark Westlake

July 14

Race Day 6 - Globe, Arizona to Wickenberg, Arizona (56 miles)

Tarzan couldn’t take this kind of heat!

I will never complain about a cold winter day again. In fact, I anxiously wait for the bitterness of winter to freeze my eyelashes together. Today it was 94° when we woke up and 110° when we went to bed. Oh, and in the middle of the day it went up to an oven-like 116°.  The boys seem to like the heat. They lather on the sunscreen, drink a gallon of water and off they go.

Today we finished all the miles and set the car out to “tan.” We really need to start Friday with full batteries as we tackle 176 very tough miles. The good news is we have conquered enough miles to guarantee our win. Our lead has already exceeded the possible miles left. Yeah! Now it’s a pride thing as we set out to finish every mile.

Send ice.

- Mark Westlake

July 15

Race Day 7 - Wickenberg, Arizona to 29 Palms, California (176 miles)

Ouch, the car is too hot to touch!

If you have been reading our journal you probably noticed it has been hot. Today we saw 120° and just so you know, it doesn’t feel much different than 110°. Our only problem today was figuring out how to get the driver in and out without burning him! With a more technical route, N. DePrey and D. Patterson did all of the 176 miles of driving, switching often to avoid the heat. It was a bit stressful, as we had to hustle to complete the miles. The good news is that we were the only team from either division to finish under the time limit.

Our last day gives us only 49 driving miles as we head to the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. Barring any unforeseen problems we should arrive at JPL by 3:00 pm. We will have a tour of the facility before heading to the hotel for the much anticipated awards banquet.

One more day.

- Mark Westlake

July 16

Race Day 8 - 29 Palms, California to Pasadena, California (49 miles)

And summer vacation begins.

Thirteen months have passed since we started this project, and for the first time I went to sleep and didn't think about the car. I have to admit that today was filled with emotion. When the band started playing as we pulled into the Jet Propulsion Lab it was as if a weight had been lifted from our shoulders. It was very exciting for us to win a close one.

The awards ceremony tonight was a chance for us to relax. We all laughed. Not just giggles, but that belly aching laugh as we enjoyed the past two weeks' adventure. It was really fun! The boys looked bright eyed as they took home a pirate's booty of awards. It seemed our boys never got a chance to sit down as they garnered award after award. The evening ended with the presentation of a skyscraper-sized trophy for our overall win.

- Mark Westlake

July 17

It was a little sad this morning as we loaded up the RV and van and sent the Nomads on their way. It was the first time we have split up the team in two weeks. I'm sure any emotion left will quickly subside when I board the midnight flight to Minneapolis tonight.

Oh, it was 65° when we woke up this morning.

Thanks for following our adventure.

- Mark Westlake

Saint Thomas Academy Car Wins
The 2005 Dell-Winston Solar Challenge

Eight grueling days, 1,600 grueling miles, 120 grueling degrees

On Saturday, July 16, 2005, the Saint Thomas Academy Experimental Vehicle Team continued to show why they are one of the best high school engineering programs in the country by winning the eight-day, 1,600 mile, Dell-Winston Solar Car Challenge.

Considered one of the top ten learning programs in the United States, the Dell-Winston Solar Car Challenge puts young engineers to the test as they design, build, and ultimately race road-worthy one-person solar cars across the United States. This year's edition started at the Dell Computer Campus in Round Rock, Texas and ended at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California.

The Cadets from Saint Thomas Academy, competing with their sun-orange car, were the only team to successfully complete all the available driving miles, winning both their division title and the overall title. Despite racing in the Classic Division, which limits the car's motors and solar cells, the very efficient Saint Thomas Car completed the most miles in the eight day contest. The durable vehicle limited its problems to one flat tire as it flew along at an average speed of 30 mph through the desert Southwest.

The Saint Thomas Academy Experimental Vehicle Team solar car weighs 420 pounds, has 460 solar cells, and runs on less energy than a standard hair dryer. Utilizing past experience, the Team was able to show case their composite expertise and molded a carbon fiber/Kevlar sandwich body that proved to be both extremely light and amazingly stiff. The car carries 140 of lead acid battery to store solar energy for helping up hills or speeding through cloudy conditions. Students monitor and adjust the cars speed based on weather, road, and available driving miles. The car is capable of speeds in excess of fifty miles per hour.

This year's race gave the eight invited high school teams bright sun and correspondingly high temperatures. Teams fought to keep both drivers and solar arrays cool as they battled temperatures as high as 120° along the race route. Driver switches were NASCAR quick as students raced to finish the daily miles by the 5:00 pm deadline. Just as challenging as the heat was the traffic as passersby slowed to evaluate the on-road oddities. Curious onlookers aside, the secondary roads of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California gave students a chance to view climates much different from the lush landscape of the Midwest.

As winners of the race, the Saint Thomas Academy Team received an invitation to compete in the prestigious World Solar Challenge held in Darwin Australia in 2006. It is doubtful the Cadets will accept the logistically difficult invite.