Oh Canada...
9:00 am: Today the University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project goes international for the first time over the course of a race when we enter Canada. We are currently cruising the sunny road of Highway 75 and anticipate an arrival into Fargo at 10:00 am. We look forward to seeing all our friends and family. After Fargo we make a run for the border and hopefully will make Winnipeg tonight.
The team made it to Winnipeg Thursday evening and were the first to arrive to a great crowd and lots of press. Zac Kahly began the day driving Borealis III from Ortonville, MN to Fargo, ND. The weather in Ortonville was exquisite, showing all the other teams why we love our great state of Minnesota. We passed M.I.T.'s camping spot, as they were getting ready to put their car on the road. Showing true Minnesota hospitality, an Ortonville farmer opened up his property for M.I.T. to camp on as well as providing some morsels for the team to eat.
After two hours the University of Minnesota arrived in Fargo with M.I.T. about ten minutes behind. Completing the thirty minutes required stopping time at the checkpoint, the team rolled out as Michigan rolled in. John Wanner was now driving the car as the team prepared for a long leg to Winnipeg.
The team crossed the border into Canada in the town of Pembina. With our own lane reserved at customs, the team got through pretty quick, too quick for the cameramen. The border agent stood at the window of the lead van telling the team that she had no more questions but had to stand there just for the cameras.
Once in Canada, the highway had flashing signs that read "Use caution for slow moving solar vehicles." As Borealis III sped by at 100 km/h we kept our eyes out for these rumored slow moving vehicles.
Borealis III was the first car to arrive at the Winnipeg stage stop, followed closely behind by M.I.T. and then Michigan. The team is so glad to be in Winnipeg for now we have two solid days and three nights to charge the car's batteries with the sun and to charge our own batteries with some much needed sleep. Up until today, the team has seen every sunrise and sunset for the past 10 days.
July 21, 2005
Comments
Tom
Great job Team! I am loving the race blog. It's the next best thing to being in the Chase Van. This is making out to be a very unproductive work week, with me checking the GPS map every 10 minutes. Ski-U-Mah!
Posted by: Tom | July 21, 2005 at 09:43 AM
aaron
Rube!
Posted by: aaron | July 21, 2005 at 10:04 AM
MikeyJ
I am in the same boat as Tommy Harkman. All I can think about is how much BorealisIII is kicking the competition and making me want to quit my job and be on the so la ka team! You guys are doing great. You are the envy of the solar car world. No matter how you finish I think I'll say that this is best car the U has made and by far the prettiest!
Posted by: MikeyJ | July 21, 2005 at 10:13 AM
Tom
Thanks for the Rube Cred. Judging by the number of hits and comments, there must be lot of us Arm-Chair Solar Car racers out there.
Posted by: Tom | July 21, 2005 at 10:28 AM
Nick S.
You guys are just jealous because I've been watching a solar car race online... all day.
Posted by: Nick S. | July 21, 2005 at 10:37 AM
Aaron
Its all about being pretty.
Honestly though I agree Mike. I wish I could have made the unvailing as the car looks and is performing very impressively.
Posted by: Aaron | July 21, 2005 at 10:40 AM
Jason Halpern
This is a great way to honor the death of Scotty, James Doohan, of Star Trek!...or not...by dedicating this race to him! jk
You guys are cruising like nobody's business! Keep it up the rest of the day! I wish the team had a chase van cam, that would be kick arse! This GPS updated Mapquest picture just isn't fulfilling my addiction to solar car racing!
Posted by: Jason Halpern | July 21, 2005 at 10:58 AM
Aaron
Looks like they can reach Winnipeg by 6:30pm MN time if they average 40 mph. Burn them batteries down to nothin'!!!
Posted by: Aaron | July 21, 2005 at 11:19 AM
Jason Halpern
ASC 2003 in review--
Delwiche/Sinykin: Hey Chris, what's the strategy for today?
Fisher: Go Faster!
Posted by: Jason Halpern | July 21, 2005 at 12:21 PM
Ditch Witch
So do any of the vans smell like rotting food or the A/C smell like fish yet?
Posted by: Ditch Witch | July 21, 2005 at 12:22 PM
Josh Sinykin
I remember the lead van being very stressful, or maybe that was due to all the navigating we were doing. Did B3 bring along a scout vehicle?
Posted by: Josh Sinykin | July 21, 2005 at 12:32 PM
Dylan Ebner
I went to lunch just as you guys were leaving Fargo...
I came back and you were in Grand Forks.
Awesome!
Keep it up.
Posted by: Dylan Ebner | July 21, 2005 at 12:54 PM
Laurie
I want one of the spiffy new stickers: http://160.94.140.26/store.htm
mostly so I can walk around with it stuck to my forehead on the final day of the race...
Posted by: Laurie | July 21, 2005 at 01:19 PM
Brad Schulz
Is the lead growing a bit????
Posted by: Brad Schulz | July 21, 2005 at 01:25 PM
Laurie
I think it might just be the Grand Forks effect. It looked like they were losing ground to Michigan when MN hit Grand Forks, and now that they're both past GF the lead is back to where it was before that.
Posted by: Laurie | July 21, 2005 at 01:28 PM
Nick
I think there was an erroneous time or location for Michigan, unless they just went 92mph for a 10 minute span after sitting still for 10 minutes.
Posted by: Nick | July 21, 2005 at 01:29 PM
Jason
You're right Josh, being in lead van having to navigate and setting the speed pace for the solar car driver was stressful. At least I wouldn't want to trade my seat as lead van/ official Ditch Witch driver with Aaron Norton who had to squeeze in on the same lead van bench with the observer and Dr. Starr. That bench gets really small really quick with three people on it...
Ok, well since Chase van's A/C didn't smell like fish (which we think might have been actually a bunch of dead bugs), maybe I would change spots with Aaron.
Posted by: Jason | July 21, 2005 at 02:14 PM
Josh Sinykin
I was too worried about the route to notice the bugs. Should we call Canada and tell them to be prepared for a old guy and 18 kids and wicked looking solar car?
Posted by: Josh Sinykin | July 21, 2005 at 02:18 PM
Travis Lee
If the Canadian crossing is anything like last year, they'll be ready. The bigger problem will be keeping them from taking too many photos and holding us up.
I like this:
Borealis II - 1st Solar Powered Int'l crossing.
Borealis III - 1st NASC Car accross the border.
Just don't have any problems in the next 15 mintues ;-).
Posted by: Travis Lee | July 21, 2005 at 02:30 PM
Dylan Ebner
It looks as if they are at the border.
Way to go Minnesota!!
Hopefully the Customs people won't want to search the car. They did that to my brother once. Took out the seats and everything.
Then, they didn't put the car back together.
If I remember correctly, Matt Tilstra got some kind of a strip search going to Australia becuase he was carring a bunch of power trackers.
Posted by: Dylan Ebner | July 21, 2005 at 02:32 PM
Nick
According to Michigan's Blog (insert grain of salt here :) ) NASC officials have changed the original regulations and now the time crossing the border is not counted. This should normalize any unfair border hold-ups.
Posted by: Nick | July 21, 2005 at 02:33 PM
Laur
Well, it looks like they didn't get held up long at the border. On to Winnipeg.
Posted by: Laur | July 21, 2005 at 02:45 PM
wayne
Man there seems to be allot of alumni posting here. The addiction to solar car just doesn't seem to die!
Posted by: wayne | July 21, 2005 at 02:58 PM
Josh Sinykin
Man, I feel like I am in the lead van with them and I can only take bathroom breaks at the pit stops. Keep it going Minnesota!
Posted by: Josh Sinykin | July 21, 2005 at 03:01 PM
Laurie
Heh, well it's not like I have a choice about watching the race; too many people know I was on the team once and pester me constantly for informed commentary. It's worse now that I'm back at the U for a while getting a PhD.
Posted by: Laurie | July 21, 2005 at 03:08 PM
July 21, 2005
Oh Canada...
9:00 am: Today the University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project goes international for the first time over the course of a race when we enter Canada. We are currently cruising the sunny road of Highway 75 and anticipate an arrival into Fargo at 10:00 am. We look forward to seeing all our friends and family. After Fargo we make a run for the border and hopefully will make Winnipeg tonight.
The team made it to Winnipeg Thursday evening and were the first to arrive to a great crowd and lots of press. Zac Kahly began the day driving Borealis III from Ortonville, MN to Fargo, ND. The weather in Ortonville was exquisite, showing all the other teams why we love our great state of Minnesota. We passed M.I.T.'s camping spot, as they were getting ready to put their car on the road. Showing true Minnesota hospitality, an Ortonville farmer opened up his property for M.I.T. to camp on as well as providing some morsels for the team to eat.
After two hours the University of Minnesota arrived in Fargo with M.I.T. about ten minutes behind. Completing the thirty minutes required stopping time at the checkpoint, the team rolled out as Michigan rolled in. John Wanner was now driving the car as the team prepared for a long leg to Winnipeg.
The team crossed the border into Canada in the town of Pembina. With our own lane reserved at customs, the team got through pretty quick, too quick for the cameramen. The border agent stood at the window of the lead van telling the team that she had no more questions but had to stand there just for the cameras.
Once in Canada, the highway had flashing signs that read "Use caution for slow moving solar vehicles." As Borealis III sped by at 100 km/h we kept our eyes out for these rumored slow moving vehicles.
Borealis III was the first car to arrive at the Winnipeg stage stop, followed closely behind by M.I.T. and then Michigan. The team is so glad to be in Winnipeg for now we have two solid days and three nights to charge the car's batteries with the sun and to charge our own batteries with some much needed sleep. Up until today, the team has seen every sunrise and sunset for the past 10 days.
July 21, 2005 | Permalink
Comments
Brad Schulz
Go B3...get to Winnipeg B4 rush hour...timing is critical. Sooner the better.
Posted by: Brad Schulz | July 21, 2005 at 03:13 PM
Greg Sallee
Sweet, looks like they are almost there.
Does anyone know a link for a "rules" list? I'm curious how things work this year as far as timing the overnight stops, when they can leave in the morning, etc. The whole race is being run a lot differently than the ones I remember (where we *all* stopped at the same place each night, even if it meant loading onto a truck to do it).
How do they accomodate the time / distance differences between all the teams? There appears to be up to 250 miles...
Posted by: Greg Sallee | July 21, 2005 at 03:48 PM
Shanna
Way to go U of MN!!! Like everyone else I'm addicted to updates! Everytime there's new information I tell everyone at work...whether they want to know or not!!!
Keep it up!!!
Posted by: Shanna | July 21, 2005 at 04:16 PM
Aaron
Beauty, eh!!!
First one to Winnipeg!
Go Gophers!
Posted by: Aaron | July 21, 2005 at 04:31 PM
Jason Halpern
For NASC Rules and information go to:
www.americansolarchallenge.org
Rules about reconfigurable arrays are probably the biggest changes for this year.
Posted by: Jason Halpern | July 21, 2005 at 04:39 PM
Adam
NGM giving shirts out this year?
You should look at the pictures from the trial drive last summer. One is of a happy border guard posing with Borealis II. (They are on this site somewhere, Travis?)
Posted by: Adam | July 21, 2005 at 04:43 PM
Nick
From the GPS it appears that we have a no-less than 21 minute lead over Michigan. Way to go guys. Two days to charge and check over everything on the car... and get some sleep.
Posted by: Nick | July 21, 2005 at 04:45 PM
wayne
I have an NGM shirt. They where very reluctant to give it to me in 01. It is a great reusable shop towel.
Posted by: wayne | July 21, 2005 at 04:51 PM
Nick
Hey Tom... Make that NGM noise! C'mon do it!
Posted by: Nick | July 21, 2005 at 05:03 PM
Travis Lee
As Adam requested, Trial Drive 2004 Photos. The current team apparently doesn't want them linked on the UMNSVP Racing page, so I won't add them back on.
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_1_7152004/
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_2_7162004/
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_3_717/
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_4_7182004/
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_5_7192004/
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_6_7202004/
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_7_7212004/
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_8_7222004/
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_9_7232004/
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_10_7242004/
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_11_7252004/
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_12_7262004/
Posted by: Travis Lee | July 21, 2005 at 05:03 PM
Travis Lee
In addition, the border crossing photos are in the Day 8 gallery. High points include:
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_8_7222004/img_0243.html
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_8_7222004/img_0248.html
http://travis.typepad.com/photos/day_8_7222004/img_0257.html
Posted by: Travis Lee | July 21, 2005 at 05:07 PM
wayne
Tom is the Zen master of NGM noise.
Posted by: wayne | July 21, 2005 at 05:19 PM
Michael
Way to go! Got a kick about you passing MIT caught in the hail storm. Hope it's smooth sailing at the big turn West. Keep on cruisin'.
Posted by: Michael | July 21, 2005 at 07:02 PM
Tom
Woo-Woo-Woo-Woo-Woo-Woo...(in NGM fashion).
Posted by: Tom | July 21, 2005 at 07:10 PM
wayne
Tom your getting rusty, here is a refresher. Click click cli cli Woooo wooo woo wo wowo!
Posted by: wayne | July 21, 2005 at 07:31 PM
field fan
you guys are rockin! makin the news and media back in the cities - keep it up! i never thought i'd be i solar car geek - but i'm hooked! i'm psyched for you and your success. GO ARRAY!
Posted by: field fan | July 21, 2005 at 08:21 PM
adam delwiche
For those of you not in the know it sounds like this:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~delw0003/Picture%20068.avi
(2.9MB)
Thanks Travis! Picture #2 was what I was looking for!
Posted by: adam delwiche | July 21, 2005 at 09:56 PM
Jason
Way to go Gophers!!! Keep it up.
Just a Gopher sports fan who has grown to appreciate other Gopher competitive teams as well, especially ones who help advance research in vital fields such as the Solar Race Car team does.
I've been frustrated over the years at our coming in just shy of 1st so often in major races, but overall over the last decade, no other collegiate solar race car team has performed as well as UMn's has. Other schools have more 1st place finishes, but none have as many Top 3 finishes or Top 10 finishes, or fine performances in International competition.
I have a feeling that race may be our time to win it all. No matter the final outcome though, the team's done and is still doing the U proud!!!
Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Jason | July 21, 2005 at 10:05 PM
Brandon J
Hey guys and gals!
I was staying at the Econo Lodge in Ortonville when you guys came pulling in last night, I left you alone until this morning when i harassed a few team members! Thanks for the info and thanks for allowing me to check out hot #35!! If you guys need a volunteer for the next race let me know! :) Best of luck!
Brandon J
Posted by: Brandon J | July 21, 2005 at 10:33 PM
Pam Braaten
Saw you on the news tonight out of Fargo. Way to go MN! Interesting website and blog...Good luck to the team in on your way to Calgary!
...a ND fan
Posted by: Pam Braaten | July 21, 2005 at 11:00 PM
Bud Beauchamp
Great site and best of luck to the Minnesota solar car team. It appears as though you and Michigan may be the teams to beat.
I am a 1966 Western Michigan alumnus following the race from my office in Seoul, Korea. I can assure you that the WMU solar car team is equally dedicated. Some day when I finally retire to the states I would love to support the Sunseeker car as a volunteer.
My best to all the dedicated teams who have worked so very hard in this most difficult endeavor.
Posted by: Bud Beauchamp | July 22, 2005 at 01:04 AM
Aaron
Is anyone else lost and bored at work today after the last couple? Come on team, throw something at us? Any good stories or anything.
Posted by: Aaron | July 22, 2005 at 09:28 AM
Brad Schulz
This message was found its way to my email box, but was intended for the team:
******************
UMNSVP:
You're our Lance Armstrong. Keep up the good work, and keep the wheels
rolling.
Your story is on the front page of the U's web site, the front page of the
U's news site, and best of all, the front of the UMAA website with links to
your site.
"Hats off to you" for representing the University of Minnesota in this high
profile adventure.
Margaret
****************
(Margaret Carlson is the CEO of the U of MN Alumni Association)
Related Links:
http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/index.php
http://www.alumni.umn.edu/
http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/The_22rayce22_is_on.html
Posted by: Brad Schulz | July 22, 2005 at 09:32 AM