In what is quickly becoming a dynasty the Sundancer solar car won the open division in a tie with the Newburgh Free Academy Solar Racing Team of Newburgh, N.Y. as it sped past the finish line yesterday and clinched the Dell-Winston School Solar Car Challenge championship trophy. This is the seventh consecutive year the team from Houston, Mississippi (population 4,079) has taken home first place honors at the competition. We covered Sundancer’s amazing victory last year, and you can see pictures of last years car and team here.
The Sundancer solar car traveled 689 miles in 17 hours 45 minutes and 13 seconds with an average speed of approximately 40 mph. This year’s nine-day cross country challenge started in Texas and ended in New York. The Sundancer Team had an eight minute lead over its nearest competitor at the end of the race but due to timing tolerances, a tie was awarded to teams whose total miles are the same and total running time is within one percent.
“The competition this year was the best we’ve seen,†said team captain Leigh Springer. “There were some really improved cars. However, our redesign of Sundancer’s body, great teamwork and determination gave us the edge we needed to capture first place again.†Since switching to SCHOTT Solar photovoltaic PV cells in 2001, the Sundancer team has not lost a challenge. (previous coverage of SCHOTT here)