By
Michelle McCollum
Arizona Summer Wildcat
UA beats Stanford, M.I.T. in American Solar Challenge Stock Car Race
The aerodynamic curves and solar cell-lined body of the University of Arizona's solar car mesmerized fans as it sped into the courtyard of the Aerospace Mechanical Engineering building Friday afternoon for its post-victory reception.
The 13 solar car racers, members of the Monsoon Team, presented their winning car and answered questions about their grueling expedition that started two years ago with the designing and building of the car and ended July 25 after they took first place in the American Solar Challenge solar-only division.
"We expected we'd do good," said mechanical team member Chris Ruelle, an engineering senior. "But I don't think we imagined that it would work out this good."
The team raced Monsoon 2,147 miles from Chicago, Ill. to Claremont, Calif. on historic Route 66 against other top-rated engineering schools across the country beginning July 15. While the average speed was 35 mph, Ruelle said there were moments when the team "let her rip."
"The speed limit during the race was 65 (mph)," Ruelle explained. "But once we were going downhill so we coasted a little above. We got her up to 74."
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ERIC M. JUKELEVICS
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UA Monsoon Solar Car
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After finishing first in the solar-only "stock car" division and ninth overall, Monsoon team leader Collin O'Connor happily announced that the UA team had defeated entries from both Stanford and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"The teams that ran in our class ran a lot of older cars and some of them ran rookie teams without a lot of experience," said O'Connor, a mechanical engineering graduate student. "We came in and said we're going to put a lot of effort into a stock class car. I think we were the only team in the stock class that really built a great car and put a lot of effort into it. And it showed."
Monsoon's stock car status means that it is purely solar-run, unlike many of the more expensive cars in the open class, which were gas-solar hybrids.
University of Michigan won the open class race with budget of $1 million, O'Connor said. Monsoon had a budget of $200,000.
The reception hosted nearly 100 faculty members, students and energy-saving enthusiasts from throughout Tucson.
Tucson resident Curt Sullivan brought his two grandsons who, he said, are car enthusiasts and are interested in seeing the future of energy conservation.
"Everyone should support the UA, especially in this," Sullivan said. "Because this is the future. It's about energy, and we've got to have it."
UA's Energy Conservation Task Force awarded the Monsoon Team with the first certificate of commendation in the field of energy conservation. The Monsoon team's accomplishments are considered a step forward in energy technology.
"(The Monsoon Team) can be an inspiration for what they've done, not only for the university but also for all of Arizona," said Gloria Alvillar, a member of the task force. "We can think about energy differently so we don't end up in the situation California is in."
Tom Peterson, Dean of the College of Engineering, said the team members are not only an inspiration for the university but will also be a cornerstone for the engineering school for many years to come.
"They worked so hard on this - to be rewarded in this way is just great," Peterson said. "To me, it epitomizes what engineering is all about. It takes a lot of creativity and tons of persistence. They weren't always the fastest car, but they were the most persistent. They hung in there and solved problems as they came up."
Ruelle says the biggest problem came during the qualifications in Kalamazoo, Mich. when Monsoon blew a rear tire.
"It was so dramatic because the car was on the total opposite side of the track so we couldn't hear anything; it was in total silence," Ruelle said. "I saw the car spinning, then flip. I saw the bottom of the car and thought it was gone. I thought we'd lost it right at that moment, but it came down, and we were able to save it."
After spending 12-hour days working on Monsoon and 24-hour days winning the American Solar Challenge, the team expressed thanks to their supporters and asked for support for the upcoming World Solar Challenge in Australia, for which they need $35,000, O'Connor said.
"This is a really big accomplishment," said music performance freshman Heather Rowland, the sister of team member Scott Rowland.
"They made a solar car from scratch. Students should be out here supporting and encouraging them because they actually went out and did something with what they learned instead of just sitting in a classroom listening to lectures and reading their textbooks."
