Saint Thomas Academy Experimental Vehicle Team
Wins the Dell-Winston School Solar Car Challenge

For the second year in a row, the high school engineering club from Saint Thomas Academy won the Dell-Winston School Solar Car Challenge.  Racing in the more competitive Classic Division, the Cadets and their one-person solar car finished 230 miles ahead of the next car in their class.  The Classic Division restricts the teams to less expensive motors and solar cells.  The student-built car performed so well that it beat all but one of the more technologically advanced Open Division vehicles.

Racing at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, the 12-member team worked together to complete as many laps as possible of the 1.5-mile oval in the time allotted.  Traveling at speeds up to 50 mph, the team completed a total of 598 miles.  The students dealt with one flat tire, a broken drive gear, and a faltering horn on their way to the championship; each time showing engineering resourcefulness as they repaired the problems.

The Dell-Winston School Solar Car Challenge is the largest solar car competition in the United States.  In the challenge, teams of high school students from around the world design, build, and race cars powered exclusively by sunlight.  Dell, Inc. is the title sponsor of the annual competition. The challenge has taught more than 3,000 participating students about technology, teamwork, problem solving, and commitment–skills they will need to compete in the 21st century economy–and has inspired thousands of others to get involved in long-term science projects.

About the Saint Thomas Academy Experimental Vehicle Team:
Moderator and physics instructor Mark Westlake supervised a team of 12 students – captain Derek Beilke ’06, Matt DeMay ’06, Adam Gentner ’06, Andrew Johnson ’06, Ben Johnson ’06, T. Lenertz ’08, J. Moran ’08, Rex Pearce ’06, D. Riehm ’07, T. Schaefer ’07, K. Simonson ’07, and M. Tredinnick ’07.  Since the team’s inception in 1998, students have built supermileage cars, solar cars, electric cars, and ice bikes, have won 11 national titles, and set four national and one international record.

Link to Dell-Winston site - For more information and photos from the competition.

Mark Westlake's Journal -

Saturday, July 15

Scrutineering Day 1

And so the adventure begins.....

I think my students are starting to think I’m crazy. With a 6:00 a.m. flight on the agenda students were up early and off in pursuit of another Experimental Vehicle Team adventure. After an uneventful flight we quickly moved to the hotel to find our friends the Beilkes and the solar car in one piece. The team quickly unloaded the car and prepared for a day of inspections. Everyone enjoyed seeing the other cars for the first time and quickly made a mental list of new ideas. Once again, I’m impressed with the work that other schools do and love to see the teams working together. This should be a great race! We passed all the inspections, took a quick swim, and got students to Saint Rita’s for the 5:30 Mass. The evening was relaxed. Tomorrow we hope to complete the second part of the inspection and then we will head to the “Stockyards” for a parade.

Keep us in your prayers. (Especially that my wife doesn’t go into labor!)

Sunday, July 16

Scrutineering Day 2

Ah, my students think that I have become more “reasonable” as I let them sleep in until 7:30 a.m. this morning. After we put the batteries back into the car we waited for our chance to complete the slalom and egress portion of the inspection. All our drivers completed both without incident. In the afternoon we assembled at the historic Fort Worth Stockyards for a parade and some free time. The boys shopped the western stores and wandered around looking for shade. After a quick snack at Taco Bueno students were in the pool and then on to the opening banquet.

Tomorrow is the first day of racing so I hope the journal will “pick up speed.”

One more thing....The wake-up call is at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow.

Monday, July 17

Race Day 1

Here we go! We arrived at Texas Motor Speedway as the sun was coming up and were instantly in awe of this world-class facility. After getting things arranged in our pit area we set about the tasks of preparing the car for the first race session in the afternoon. Normally our race preparations are uneventful, but today was fraught with gremlins. First we caught a wire as we removed the array and pulled it right off one of the solar cells. This is HUGE problem! With the potential of having to race with only two-thirds of the array working, Ben Johnson '06 and D. Riehm '07 rolled out their electrical ambulance and had the problem beat in no time.

With the start of the race looming the batteries were put in and the switches turned on and we got nothing! This is a HUGE problem! The whole team quickly jumped in and after much checking and rechecking found one of the batteries to be broken. We replaced our battery with a spare, found the car to be working, and hustled to the start. With Student Director Derek Beilke '06 encased in his solar bed the green flag waved and off we went. As we approached the halfway point we prepared for a driver switch. Derek would have nothing to do with that! He kept the whip to the car and completed the entire three-hour session, piling up a jumbo platter of laps in the process. Great job by all!

Tomorrow is a much longer day with six hours of driving. You can follow the race in real time at the Dell-Winston School Challenge site [link is above].

Three long days left!

Link to Dell-Winston - Photos from Race Day 1

Tuesday, July 18

Race Day 2

Pit Stops and Penalties

I won’t sugarcoat it; today was a rough one for the Saint Thomas Academy Experimental Vehicle Team. After two perfect hours of racing, the walls started to cave in. A piece of metal from Texas decided it would like to move to Minnesota and promptly lodged itself in our front tire for the trip. After a quick wheel change we were back out on the track and running well.

Near the end of the morning session, driver Adam Gentner ’06 was in for more fun when our drive wheel gear sheared off. With only a few minutes left in the morning session we pulled the car into the pit garage and replaced the broken part. After a very rushed lunch we hoped that the gremlins had left for the day and Matt DeMay ’06 climbed into the very hot car. Unfortunately Matt was not alone. A host of problems climbed in with him and proceeded to play games with our horn.

During the race, the driver needs to sound his horn every time he passes another car – the problem is we pass a lot of cars. This causes the horn to heat up and the volume to go down. We were forced to pit numerous times to try to remedy the problem, each time with no real solution. I think the penalties are going to be quite severe. Who would guess that a simple horn would become our Achilles heel? Stupid Horn!

The good news is that Saint Thomas Academy boys don’t give up, they get even. As I write this they are in their room building a “super horn.” (They are very smart!) They have assured me that it will be extra loud and shouldn’t start on fire. (That word "shouldn’t" worries me.) Let’s hope it works.

Hoping for a smoother day…

Link to Dell-Winston - Photos from Race Day 2

Photos from Dean Beilke

Wednesday, July 19

Race Day 3

Can you turn that thing down?

After yesterday’s horn misadventure I was anxious to see the “super horn” in action. I was not disappointed! The boys were mad at the old horn and it was "fightin’ time." After reaching Texas Motor Speedway, the boys set about unveiing and installing the horn of horns. Using a handheld megaphone that we bought at Radio Shack, they gutted it, rewired it, and installed it in the side of the car. (I must admit the first cut kind of hurt!) The boys assured me that both the judges and the other cars would hear this horn. The first blast made every one turn, as what was a meek and quiet horn was now a full volume police siren. It was LOUD! (So loud, in fact, that the other teams asked that we limit its use!) Problem repaired.

In addition to the boys' obvious glee with their new horn, the race itself went great. The car ran neck and neck with the leader of the Open Class during each of the two race periods. It was a much more enjoyable day for everyone.

Tomorrow is the last day of racing, and our electrical group has assured me that they should be able to run the car pretty fast. Kind of sad to think that tomorrow is this team's last race.


Hoping she holds together.....

Link to Dell-Winston - Photos from Race Day 3

Thursday, July 20

Race Day 4

This is why I teach.

Today we finished the final race session and as I put my feet up in my air conditioned room I feel happy. Not because we won our division by some crazy amount, but because I work with some of the finest kids in the country. I love this team. During the very high points and the very low points (stupid horn) I watched a group of young men conduct themselves with humility and resourcefulness. I can’t count the number of compliments I get from people as they watch our students work. I hope my sons turn out as well as these guys!

Okay, enough sap. We survived sauna-like heat and kept the car on the track the entire race time, stopping only long enough for the camera crew to mount a video camera on the car for the closing laps. At the end of the last session driver Adam Gentner '06 was excited to get the word from the electrical team to “go ahead, and open it up!” With siren blaring, the car flashed through the start/finish line multiple times to use up the remaining battery. With robust laughs and hearty handshakes we watched the car pull into pit row at the completion of another exciting event.

Now it’s on to the banquet.

The new baby can come any time.

Thanks for following our adventure.