NASC 2008 Day 5 — University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project

Rayce Day 5: Stage Stop in Sioux Falls

We have safely arrived in Sioux Falls, SD! We came in 7th place for the stage, which is pretty good considering all of the issues we've been having. We arrived to a large crowd of Minnesota fans, mostly consisting of parents and friends that came out from Minnesota and Wisconsin to see us on the race.

For those of you that have been keeping an eye on the weather, we just barely made it in before the storm hit. We decided to cut short our allotted 30 minutes of charging time in favor of getting the car safely in the trailer. Just as the trailer door went up, torrential rain started coming down. We heard rumors of large hail coming our way, so we're just waiting out the storms in our hotel. As far as we know, there are no teams close behind us, so it will be interesting to see how they deal with the weather while on the road.

Current Standings

1. Michigan
2. Principia
3. FH Bochum
4. Waterloo
5. MINNESOTA
5. Misourri S&T/Rolla
6. Calgary

Today was a well-needed rest day for the team. After departing at 5:00AM for our starting location in Alcester, we drove in to an early finish at Sioux Falls. We got incredibly lucky that we went as fast as we did; not 20 minutes after we arrived, we received reports that a series of bad storms were on their way. Not 2 minutes after we closed the trailer door on the car, a torrential downpour started, forcing us to go back to our hotel until the storms passed.

At the hotel, the majority of the team took the opportunity to catch up on some much-needed sleep or go out to eat at nearby restaurants. Some of us took some time to update the website and the photo sets (check it out!), and many members also spent time with their families that came to see us at the stage stop. Overall, it was a much-needed break from the constant stress of solar car racing.

The evening charge went off without an incident; the car appears to be working wonderfully. We are looking forward to proving to the rest of the field what our car is truly capable of.

--David Towey
Crew Chief

July 17, 2008

Rumor Quashing

Apparently there is also a rumor going around (possibly from OSU's blog) that our battery exploded or caught fire. This is NOT true; we blew a couple fuses on power trackers at the Topeka checkpoint, but no permanent damage was done to the car.

Comments

Congratulations on making it to Sioux Falls safely! This journey has been very exciting for all of us following from home. Rest well today!

Posted by: Jeanne LaMoore | July 17, 2008 3:51 PM

It was great to see everyone at the Omaha checkpoint. A WOW TV crew was on hand to interview the Minnesota team. I have had very positive comments about the solar car and the race in general. Keep up the great work. There is still a lot of racing to be done.

Posted by: Roger Coffey | July 17, 2008 6:30 PM

Rest! Wonderful - you have all needed some of that. I'm so thankful that you "missed" the big storm. Timing is a crucial thing!

Posted by: Jeanne LaMoore | July 19, 2008 6:45 PM

Way to go Gophers!! 5th Place even with all your "opportunities" with the Solar Car. Looks like Principia is really giving Michigan a run for their money. Lots of miles to go and I'm sure you will make up time in the coming days. Keep the reports coming in and hope you are speaking Canadian later today, Eh?

Posted by: Roger Coffey | July 18, 2008 7:32 AM

Go Gophers! The Energy Management folks at the University are watching the progress. You have had some challenges! As engineers, these life lessons from the rayce are teaching you more than you know. The team work between the teams to keep everyone in the rayce has to make for a very fun environment. Keep your head up, think and get those guys in the lead, especially those blue and yellow guys. You can still do it.

A 2005 Solar Car Dad
2008 Solar Car Crew Chief's Employer and a...
Solar Car Junkie

Posted by: Jerome | July 18, 2008 9:36 AM

Way to go Minnesota. It was great seeing all of the solar cars roll my home town of Canby, MN today!! Good Luck!

Posted by: Crystal Theisen | July 18, 2008 1:07 PM

This posting is really from my sister Ann Somers...
I've been booted off three times yesterday; your site thought that I was trash-talking or something. Too bad, because those were really funny messages, eh? (The Somers can say that because our Dad is Canadian.) Tell Morgan that Louise read blog entries to Eileen and Larry since they aren't big on the computer.

We are all cheering for you. You've jumped up two positions since I've last logged on! Way to go! May the sun shine on your solar panels, the wind be at your back and may the equipment whose--ee-what's-its run 100% GRD and go team go!

Posted by: Louise Somers | July 18, 2008 2:39 PM

Regardless of where you place in this race, we want you all to know that we are SO proud of your accomplishments. We were fortunate to be in Plano, Texas for qualifying and the start of the race and the sportsmanship and dedication from the U of M team was awesome to see. We wish you luck in the race but you are already winners in what matters most in life.

Posted by: Bill & Chris Wiegert | July 18, 2008 6:28 PM

Thanks for the info! For many of us, following this race electronically is both exciting and challenging. We love to get information on how you are doing. Know that you have many people cheering for you, in addition to those of us who leave comments.

Posted by: Jeanne LaMoore | July 19, 2008 6:50 PM

OSU may be mistaking us for Missouri S&T, who had a battery pack catch fire while they were stopped for the night near Nebraska City.

As far as that goes, their blog says that all of their team members are okay and that they were ready to get back on the road as of posting. Best of luck to them.

Posted by: Taylor Hill | July 17, 2008 12:31 PM

Go Minnesota! Keep up your great resilience! We are following online and cheering you on from MN. Tomorrow morning we plan to watch you start your day out of Sioux Falls. Our son was on the 2005 MN Team and so we are pretty much junkies for life.

I'd like to encourage all you other familiy members and friends to go take this rayce in, in person, over the next few days. It is exciting and fun--- Go! You will not regret it.

Best wishes for safe and fast days ahead. Jane and Mike

Posted by: Jane and Mike | July 17, 2008 1:40 PM

I'd like to encourage all you other familiy members and friends to go take this rayce in, in person, over the next few days. It is exciting and fun--- Go! You will not regret it.

Best wishes for safe and fast days ahead. Jane and Mike

Posted by: Jane and Mike | July 17, 2008 1:40 PM

I can hardly wait to see you in Fargo! I know it will be a very quick stop, but I'll have chocolate chip cookies and spicy Chex mix (with Tabasco) to hand off to you. Kudos to this amazing team! Thanks for letting us share in your adventure. As far as rumors, the blogs I read attributed the fire incident to Missouri. I'm so glad that they are all okay! Be well, Minnesota!

Posted by: Jeanne LaMoore | July 17, 2008 3:54 PM

Sorry, Minnesota, it's hard for us West-coasters to keep track of all those M-states in the middle... (sheepish grin)

Posted by: Becky | July 17, 2008 6:26 PM

Way to go guys. We're reading the blogs with bated breath every day. I think about you all the time since we saw you take off in Plano. Hope the bugs go away and you'll have smooth riding from now on. Peggy

Posted by: Margaret Leonhardt | July 17, 2008 7:47 PM

Good luck Minnesota from a member of the '93 team!

Posted by: Bryce Pier | July 17, 2008 9:17 PM

It's a beautiful Minnesota summer day, lot's of sunshine, I hope it's also over your car all way up thru Canada, eh? Race well, and say hi to my sister when she hands off the cookies & chex mix!

Posted by: Louise Somers | July 18, 2008 8:40 AM

Go Minnesota!! Sorry we couldn't be there to watch you take off today. Looking forward to all the pics & stories from your journey. We are very proud of you Jeff & the Minnesota team for all that you've accomplished & overcome. Take care & be safe!

Posted by: Buck & Dede | July 18, 2008 10:34 AM