Ladies and gentlemen, no need to start your engines! Your cars are solar-powered! This summer, cheer them on in the great American solar
car race! Everyone’s invited to cheer on college teams from throughout the U.S. competing to design, build and drive solar-powered cars. Begun in 1990 and officially called the American Solar Challenge — previously known as the Sunrayce — this solar car race runs over multiple days and travels over a 1,500-2,000-mile course between multiple cities across America, this year following the Oregon National Historic Trail.
It all kicks off on July 1st where teams undergo “scrutineering” inspections of either single-occupant vehicles or multi-occupant vehicles. Cars that pass the test then move on to the Formula Sun Grand Prix track race and must finish several qualifying laps at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, KS.
Teams that make it this far prove their solar cars ready for the cross-country journey, which presents a whole new set of challenges, with a mix of city and highway driving on public roads under varying conditions intended to test the reliability and endurance of each solar car and its team. MORE DETAILS HERE