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Thursday, July 17, 2008

Some Images from the Start Line

Again continuing in the series of adding photos, here is a set of photos from the start of the race in Plano, Texas.

The official start line.


The solar car lane leading away from the start lined with NASC 2008 flags.


Robert Vogt, head strategist for both the 2003 and 2005 Michigan teams, and Brian Gilchrist, our faculty adviser, join us at the start of the race. Brian stayed with the team until we reached Sioux Falls.


Continuum and the team pose while waiting for the official all team photo to be taken.


Our lead and chase vehicles sit and wait for the start of the race. We were given American and Canadian flags to put on both vehicles. The start of this race was well organized. While the solar cars lined up at the start line, the lead and chase vehicles for each team were put in another line just after the start. When the solar car passed the starting line, the lead vehicle was already in front of the car ready to go. Chase quickly followed behind and we were off down the road.


Continuum sits in position 1 at the start line. Minnisota and Missouri S&T can be seen in the background.


The two Jeffs on the team stand in front of Continuum shortly before the race start.


The team is treated to dinner by the Dallas Alumni Club on Friday before the race begins.

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Aww, I love those group shots!! Especially that one of everyone with the car. Go--well, you know, that color next to green. ;)

July 17, 2008 at 9:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great pictures...esp the one using the puddle and the one in which Continuum looks so proud (and somewhat smug) as she is surrounded by her team. And she has every right to be proud (and smug)!

July 17, 2008 at 10:21 PM  

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Some Images From Scrutineering

Now that we are stationed in Sioux Falls we have access to high speed internet which means pictures can finally be posted. Enjoy this set from Scrutineering in Cresson, Tx.

Steve practices egress and works to ensure he can get out of the vehicle in under 10 seconds.


Our car at the Mechanical Scrutineering Station being inspected by Dick and Greg.


Continuum completes the figure eight test with Brooke driving.


Our support vehicles and safety procedures are even inspected during Scrutineering. Jim, the safety officer for the event, speaks with everyone in the lead vehicle before we simulate an emergency situation.


Continuum flies past one of the corner workers while on the track.


Continuum qualifies! Steve completed 60 laps in a row, making us the first team to qualify for the race.


Another great picture of Continuum on the track. This was taken just after we completed the 60 laps required to qualify.


Chito and Jeff Rogers sit in our pit awaiting a driver swap on the first day of qualifying.


John stands with Continuum as we prepare to enter the track.


Red River College provided a wonderful dinner for all the teams.


Minnisota and Michigan line up at the start line to begin the second day of qualifying.


Jeff Ferman and Alex Dowling chat while watching Continuum on the track.


Doug speaks with the Brooke as she drives Continuum around the track. Gerald stands in the background watching Continuum fly around the track.


Minnesota and Durham leave the track at the end of the second day of Qualifying.


Dean Wisniewski and his mother, Rita - both buy-a-cell sponsors join Chito and the team to watch qualifying. Dean heads our relationship with one of our gold sponsors, Visteon, where he works.


Our Base-X tents set up just before a storm hit. The tent on the left was used as mess hall and as a vehicle tent for work. The second tent on the right was set up for sleeping.


The night sky at the track immediately after the storm passed over.

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Wednesday, July 09, 2008

A few pictures...

John timing a braking test prior to our departure for Texas. TruckNTow.com provided much of our safety equipment including flags and safety vests. SportsCounters.com provided each race crew member with a stopwatch for just such occasions.

Unloading Continuum on the track in Cresson, TX.

Passing the figure 8 test during scrutineering.

Our sleeping quarters, provided by Base-X. This was before we set up a second Base-X tent for working on the car.

A Whelen strobe light was taken from one of our support vehicles and added to the solar car in order to pass regulations.


Thank you to all of our new sponsors!! (Image of the new logo on the semi.)

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4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Those Safety vests are pretty cool with the U of M logo and the team name. Good luck with qualifying!

July 9, 2008 at 11:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Isn't the strobe supposed to be visible for the entire vicinity around the car, except the front?

July 10, 2008 at 9:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, it's actually supposed to be visible from everywhere except BEHIND the vehicle. There are also LEDs that flash along the perimeter of the canopy, but the Whelen light is a lot brighter (thus allowing us to pass that regulation).

July 11, 2008 at 12:07 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Whelen are pretty cool. I worked with them on a couple of projects at work (art display involving a couple of hundred strobes, and modifying one of their strobes to be an IR signal beacon). Their engineers sent me samples and were very helpful as I worked to customize their products in ways they hadn't anticipated.

Greta company, great engineers, and I'm glad you had a good experience with their products as well.

July 11, 2008 at 3:27 PM  

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Friday, June 20, 2008

Focus on Safety

Not too long ago the Team was privileged enough to have Jerry Buffman from Dummies on the Run sponsor and administer First Aid and CPR training to 19 of our members. The training took around two hours to complete and was both extremely informative and entertaining. We learned important skills like how to bandage wounds and save someone from choking, and we even learned how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) like the ones we see on campus. Not only are we now more prepared for the upcoming North American Solar Challenge, but members will be able to make use of their training in the years to come as well.

Doug and Spencer preparing to practice CPR on their dummies.

We’ve also been fortunate enough to have some other new sponsors come on board recently and assist us with our safety goals. Aearo Technologies has graciously donated safety goggles, respirators, and First Aid kits, and TrucknTow.com has provided the Team with safety vests, gloves, flags, and cones. Our previous supplies were a bit outdated and understocked, so it’s great to see new equipment that’s both up to code and safe.

Team members on the side of the road with TruckNTow safety vests, flags, and cones.

In addition to new sponsors, some of our sponsors from 2007 have continued their support of the team through additional in-kind donations. Wiley X, the ultimate provider of shatterproof eye protection, has renewed their sponsorship by providing the 2008 Race Crew with some of their latest styles for this year. These sunglasses will protect our team from UV rays as well as any debris that may fly up while being on the side of the road.

Sarah wearing one of Wiley X's new styles for 2008.

Aside from focusing on protecting our team members, we’ve also been doing our part to protect the environment. Thanks to General Motors, the Team has been supplied with a fleet of four Chevy Tahoe Hybrids to serve as support vehicles for this summer’s race. Even though the most advertised benefit of a hybrid vehicle is increased fuel economy, an arguably much more important benefit is the reduction in emissions. Translated, this means fewer pollutants in the air and a cleaner, healthier Earth.

Picture of Scout - one of the Chevy Tahoe Hybrids and the car that makes sure the road is clear for the solar car. Vehicle graphics courtesy of Signs By Tomorrow.

OrganicByTheCase.com has also partnered with the Team by donating organic food and supplies to be used on both our mock race as well as during the North American Solar Challenge. We’ve stocked our semi with organic cereal, granola bars, and drinks, all of which were produced without the introduction of harmful fertilizers and pesticides into the environment.

Spencer enjoying a cup of Oaty Bites cereal thanks to OrganicByTheCase.com.

Another sponsor of the 2007 project that has returned is Targus, maker of the world's top-selling laptop computer cases and accessories. They’ve sponsored the 2008 Race Crew with selections from their new line of eco-friendly laptop cases. All of the cases from the EcoSmart™ series are made of PVC-free material, meaning that there were no poisonous chemicals created during their manufacture. (When produced, PVC releases chemicals such as dioxins which may pose irreversible life-long health threats.)

In short, we'd just like to say thank you again to all of the above companies for supporting our team and helping us realize our goals. And while we may never be fully prepared nor save the environment on our own, at least we've made some steps in the right direction.

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10 Comments:

Blogger Brian Ignaut said...

It's great to see the whole organization moving towards more eco-friendly practices. Way go go and keep up the good work.

GFGSGB!

June 20, 2008 at 3:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

An eco-friendly team of suppliers for a solar car team? Who would have thought?

Nice work, solar car team!

June 20, 2008 at 9:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wow is cool..

June 21, 2008 at 11:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Go get 'em!

I'm a life-long State fan so for the first time in my life I'm pulling for the maize-and-blue.

If you get the chance, put Stanford into the wall.

Just kidding.

GO BLUE!

June 21, 2008 at 12:39 PM  
Blogger Furqan Nazeeri said...

I agree with Jim...put Stanford into the wall! ;-) JK.

June 22, 2008 at 1:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

These competitions are cool, but are these vehicles ever going to see the production line? No, the fat cats eat way to much off of the fuel industry and would never let these kinds of vehicles see the assembly lines.

June 29, 2008 at 5:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

14 days until the race. Good luck team and thanks for the pictures... GO BLUE!

June 29, 2008 at 7:46 PM  
Blogger TC Lambert said...

Gonna need some new updates for this blog. The team is on its way to Texas, the heart of Oil Country. Make those Big Oil b******s shake when they see cars that run on no gas at all.

ASC website says Ohio State and Michigan State have entries this time. Is that for real?

- TC Lambert

July 4, 2008 at 3:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good luck. Love to watch that line of cars go through my town.

July 5, 2008 at 9:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is the most interesting car I've seen. Keep up the good work.

December 20, 2008 at 6:10 PM  

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Thursday, June 05, 2008

Mock Race Images

As we drive back on I94, I have regained a solid internet connection. Here are the missing photos from day 2 of mock race.

Our Scout vehicle parked at Crowder College in Neosho, Mo

The sun begins to rise at Crowder College


Driving north towards Topeka. During the morning the weather was not terrible, but in the distance we could see a roll cloud associated with the storm.
The storms brew ahead of Continuum.


The storm is advancing and we decided to head south
to stay safe and avoid the hail and tornadoes.



We head south to Nevada, Mo to avoid the storm
cells that have the race route covered.

Back on the road after the storms in clear skies!

Continuum rolls into the Topeka control stop and is received by team members.

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7 Comments:

Blogger Brian Ignaut said...

Congrats on finishing mock race! Sounds like you guys got some good training under your belts.

June 5, 2008 at 12:46 PM  
Blogger TC Lambert said...

Thanks for the updates and the photos. One showed Doug in a clean shirt. That's different.

Glad to hear the interest spectators have in the car. With gasoline over 4 dollars per gallon, you may get curious onlookers placing orders for solar cars.

-TC Lambert (Doug's dad)

June 5, 2008 at 1:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is amazing, keep it up guys. That weather may have been bad to drive through but Ann Arbor's weather hasn't been much better lately anyway :)

June 7, 2008 at 11:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great work on completing the race!!! the car looks good!!! One of the students working for bentley designed something quite unique... take a look: http://www.pressportal.com.au/news/315/ARTICLE/1979/2008-04-28.html

June 8, 2008 at 4:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congrats!

June 8, 2008 at 9:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Car looks awesome! Fantastic work and congrats on the race

June 13, 2008 at 10:38 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great post. It's like a Discovery Channel, chasing for the storm. Keep up a good work and keep posting

June 24, 2008 at 1:53 AM  

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