Solar Phantom Online

Sun Shines On Rose-Hulman's Solar Phantom Solar Car; Wins Formula Sun Grand Prix By A Record 305 Miles

Showcasing a model of consistency that would be the envy of Indy 500 competitors, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's Solar Phantom VI solar-powered car had an impressive victory in the Formula Sun Grand Prix in Topeka, Kan., winning the three-day engineering competition by a record 305 miles. The Solar Phantom made 116 laps around the 2.1-mile Heartland Park Raceway on Friday's final 8 1/2 hour session, after collecting 120 laps on Thursday and 117 on Wednesday. The 353-lap total (741 miles) far outdistanced second place Mankato and Winona State Universities (Minn.), which finished with 208 laps (436 miles). North Dakota State University was third with 122 laps. Other teams in the race included the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University. Rose-Hulman, the defending Formula Sun champions, averaged 32.5 mph during the race, with a top recorded speed of 59.2 mph on one stretch of the track. This week's performance should give the Solar Phantom the No. 1 starting position for this summer's American Solar Challenge road rally (July 15-25) from Chicago to Los Angeles along Route 66. Dan Helms, a junior from Bloomfield, Ind., drove the Solar Phantom across the finish line. Juniors Chris Nicholson and Don Harrington drove the car earlier in the day.

Position	Team	Laps Completed
1st	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology	353 laps
2nd	University of Minnesota Mankato/Winona	208
3rd	North Dakota State University	122
4th	University of Missouri-Rolla	102
5th	Iowa State University	92
6th	University of Michigan	92
7th	University of Missouri-Columbia	85
8th	Messiah College (PA)	80
9th	Texas A&M	77
10th	University of North Dakota	72
11th	University of Waterloo	66
12th	University of Minnesota	63
13th	Principia College (IL)	35


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