Update from Hidden Valley
Above: view of garage spaces and pit lane
Above: the parking lot is packed with vehicles, trailers, and solar carsHidden Valley Raceway is filling up quickly as the last handful of teams arrive at their garages. There have been up to 7 vehicles on the track at once working out bugs and whittling down lap times. Thanks to the introduction of new regulations for the 2007 race, we’re seeing an impressive variety of vehicle designs and configurations.
Here's a quick glimpse of what's on the track:
Above: Team Sinag (Philippines) and Helios (France)
Above: Solarworld (Germany)
Above: Solarworld from rear
Above: Umicore (Belgium)
Above: Twente (Netherlands)
Above: Twente's array with Fresnel concentrators
Above: Aurora's new challenge class car (Australia)
Above: Aurora also brought back their 1987/1990 vehicle
Above: Aviva Southern Aurora is racing the 1999 Aurora vehicle (Australia)
We’re fortunate to be part of such a large and competitive race pack for the 20th anniversary of this amazing race.
Labels: WSC 2007 Season
Posted by Brian Ignaut at 8:13 AM | Permalink |
7 comments
7 Comments:
Hi guys,
It looks like there is quite a varied group of raycers out there. Other than Twente, are there any other teams running with concentrators?
Good Luck and Go Blue!
Jose Alvarez
97 & 99 Solar Car Team
Wow, I still get goose bumps looking at pictures from Hidden Valley.
Best of luck in qualy!
Russ Moerland
97, 99 & 01 Solar Car Team :-)
Hey Spencer and Paula,
The lap record for a michigan team is 2:01 and change. See how you can stack up but don't pull an MIT.
later,
Joe Belter
Jose,
Twente is the the only other team running concentrators this race. Their system uses Fresnel lenses (flat lenses made of thin sheets of textured plastic) to focus light onto high efficiency cells. Definitely a great design and a great car to boot.
Brian
I'm interested in a little info about the competition- are those silicon cells on Aurora's car? Where do they fit that driver in the challenge regs?
What have people's reactions been to the new concentrator system?
You have a ton of people here at home cheering for you. Keep it safe on the track!
Chris Churchill
Chris,
Aurora is using the latest generation of Sunpower silicon solar cells. Not only are they more efficient, but they also feature smaller cropped corners than previous Sunpower cells. Their car is indeed a challenge class vehicle and they have by far the sleekest body of any CC car at the WSC.
The concentrators have drawn a lot of positive attention from people at the track. The most frequently asked question is whether they work. The answer: yes. It's great to see all our hard work pay off.
Thanks for all the great feedback!
Brian
Aurora's car does look sleek. They even made it aerodynamic from the sides. Silicon solar cells? I thought the top teams all used Gallium Arsenide. After the race, somebody explain the advantages and disadvantages.
Great pictures, great blog. I'm checking Stanford's blog, too. They have an Adventure class car that could give America another chance to win.
I'm getting so excited, I've taken to listening to early Beatles while checking the blogs. You know, the fast, energetic music that made fans jump up and scream.
Go fast, go smooth, take the pole position!
-TC Lambert (UM '79, Doug's dad)
PS. I'm taking encouragement from the fact that Doug shaved. It's as if he thinks he should look good for post-race photos.
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