'Rayce' Time Nears

by Skip Derra
It's sleek and shiny, looking more like a sports car than a
solar car. It's painted "laser red" with stylized cyclones in 
a fluorescent "pearl blue" along the cockpit. Most 
importantly, the PrISUm Cynergy solar car is on the road. 

After months of delays and uncertainty when the solar car 
project was cash poor and cereal rich, Iowa State students 
finished building the car in a frenzy. As they were packing 
their bicycle tires (the "wheels" of the car), tennis balls 
(a suspension device) and traveling machine shop for Sunrayce 
95, they were still trying to optimize performance of the car 
while learning how it operates. 

"This car didn't even exist two weeks ago," said Jeff 
Etringer, electrical captain, during a "Breakfast with 
Champions" on June 8, just prior to heading east to 
Indianapolis. The breakfast was a chance for the students to 
thank those who sponsored the program, show off their car and 
pass out some of the 50,000 boxes of Sun Crunchers cereal 
donated by General Mills to the project.

"Sun Crunchers and peanut butter on bread is really good," 
said driver Beth Hunter. "We could write a Sun Crunchers 
recipe book." 

Sunrayce 95 will begin June 20 in Indianapolis, Ind., and end 
nine days and 1,150 miles later in Golden, Colo. The team 
left early so it could run the first few days of the race 
route in the new car. Prior to the race, each solar car team 
must go through a "scrutineering" process, designed to prove 
the car performs as advertised and is safe. There are other 
pre-race qualification activities, but Team PrISUm is 
confident the car will pass them all and be on the road June 
20. 

"Many people have said the new car looks nicer, but it was 
designed to reduce aerodynamic drag, which will be about half 
of the last car," said Bryan Arnold, co-director of the 
project. 

Other noticeable differences include a "tricycle" design -- 
two wheels in front, one in back -- to reduce rolling 
resistance; improvements in the frame and shell of the car to 
improve endurance; and solar cells on the bottom of the car 
to catch reflected light from the road surface. 

"The cells on the bottom could collect up to 10 percent of 
the energy of the top panel on cloudy days, making it an 
important source of energy on overcast racing days," Arnold 
said. "And cloudy, rainy weather is Sunrayce weather."

"The students have done a great job with this car," added Jim 
Hill, who has been a solar car adviser through all three of 
Iowa State's forays into Sunrayce. "It is much more carefully 
designed, much more aerodynamic and everything seems to fit 
together very well." 

In 1991, Iowa State finished 17th in a field of 32 cars. In 
1993, ISU finished 10th in a field of 36 cars. This year's 
field will be 40 cars, and Team PrISUm members are confident 
they will continue their ascent in the standings.

Arnold said one of the strongest points of this team is its 
experience. Several team members took part in the 1993 race, 
and they have run a good portion of this year's race route 
with PrISUm II (the 1993 car) as well as the new car. 

"We feel we've made several significant improvements," he 
said. "The question is, 'How far have the other teams come?'"

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contact:  Skip Derra, News Service, (515) 294-4917
updated:  6-16-95