Ready to Rayce

Over the past week, everyone on the team has worked hard to finish up some final fixes to the car. And we are proud to announce that we are now qualified to race in the American Solar Challenge!

Taken last Friday before we left our shop in Boston, MA for Monticello, NY.

Friday afternoon. After a long 4-hour drive (luckily with minimal traffic), we  arrived at the Monticello Motor Club, where the car will be scrutineered.

The team relaxing on the grass after the long drive. Our Aero Lead Thomas plays the guitar. 

 The next 6 days consisted of intense scrutineering and last minute work done to perfect every aspect of our solar car Chopper del Sol. Many late night work shifts and energy drinks later, we passed all 8 of the scrutineering inspection stations (Array, Driver, Body and Sizing. Electrical, Battery Protection System, Mechanical, Dynamic, & Support).

ASC sticker and our team number.

Beautiful sunset at the Monticello track.

Today (July 12th) is the last day of scrutineering. In order to qualify for the American Solar Challenge, our three drivers, Tom, Dillon, and Julia, must complete a total of 105 laps on the track.

Driving down to the track.

Our EEs getting a few hours of sleep during the track race.

Our Mechanical Lead Buchman is prepping the tires for the tire change.

At exactly 3:44.47PM, our driver Julia crosses the finish line for the 105th time,  officially qualifying us for the race from Rochester, NY to St Paul, MN starting Saturday!

We will be driving to Rochester tomorrow for the pre-race showcase of all the solar cars at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). If you are around this area, drop by and say hi! The race will begin on Saturday, July 14th, at 9AM. Stay tuned for more blog posts and updates on the race!

We would like to extend a sincere thank you to our sponsors, supporters, friends, and families. We would not have been able to get this far without you!