Proof of how busy we were in Texas is the fact that I'm posting the last blog post about a week late.

DAY 5: Race Day #2

The clouds extended their stay into Friday, which posed quite an issue to the racing teams. A couple more teams passed scrutineering the day before, so there were a couple more cars with tilted arrays, struggling to charge their batteries with what little sun was filtering through the uncharacteristic fluffs of condensate in the Texan sky. It also didn't help the situation of those still trying to pass scrutineering that there was a fire alarm the night before. There was no real emergency, but we were still stranded outside for over an hour while things were being sorted out. Luckily, we could hide out in our trailers while the rain poured around us.

Yes, it rained multiple times in the same week in Texas. Everyone was in dismay: cloudy and rainy during a solar vehicle competition, just our luck! And yet, every team kept pushing through.

With everything else ready to go, SunStang focused our efforts on tweaking our battery protection system (BPS). A lot was changed and learned in those hours, including learning one-wire communication, which is a lot more exciting than it sounds. After hitting a lot of snags and bumps that we managed to overcome (remember to check that you're using the right I/O pins, boys and girls) our BPS was functional and communicating properly and ready for scrutineering by late afternoon. We rolled into the BPS station with our hearts in our throats, hoping the world would be with us for this step. If we can get a green in BPS, we can get on the track tomorrow morning for the last race day!

SunStang's fate for the 2014 FSGP was decided within the hour. The scrutineers worked closely with us to try to bring our system up to their regulation standards, but unfortunately, our design was missing fundamental elements that we could not procure parts for in time. After five and a half days of working non stop on the car, our journey had come to a close. The team was disappointed and heartbroken. We returned to our garage, cleaned up, and left before the track closed for the first time all week.

But we weren't done. We had our moments of feeling sorry for ourselves, but immediately after we began planning for next year. What are we bringing? How are we changing the car? How do we prepare the team for the competition? What's our strategy? What are our goals? How loudly are we going to cheer when we get up that hill for the first time?


DAY 6: Race Day #3 + Public Day

On the last official race day of the FSGP, the Circuit of the Americas had opened the facility to the public for viewing the solar car race. There was a station where different solar vendors had booths set up, activities for children including building miniature solar cars, and a track for racing little RC solar cars! Some teams left their garages open for visitors to come in and take a look, but the public was not allowed any further access to the pits and track. We had many visitors take a look at our car and chat with us about where we're from and how we've built everything on the car ourselves. Someone even recognized the motive behind our name: "SunStang...it's like a mustang, but the sun!" We've always thought the connection between our school mascot and the sun was pretty clear, but this man was the first person who understood it without explanation.

There was a lot more sun this day than there was for the rest of the competition, and those teams racing were taking full advantage of it. From all the activity and excitement, you would never have guessed that a battery fire broke out in the garages at 3 am. Illinois State's battery back caught fire and their solar car was damaged beyond repair. I can't imagine what their team went through, seeing their hard work charred before them, but the misfortune didn't stop there. The sprinkler systems were activated with the fire, and affected several teams in the same garage and adjacent garages. Principia had up to 6 inches of water in their body and had to rewire most of their car. It was a hectic morning, between dealing with the damage and teams trying to repair their cars. It was also a testament to how when people come together for the purpose of learning and growth, they will always help each other out in their toughest times. Those who were affected by the fire found support in the other teams who were there to lend them a hand with spare parts, clean up duty, and any work.

By the end of the 3 days of racing, 15 out of 20 teams managed to put laps on the track. 4 teams qualified for the ASC, while another 6 received provisional qualification. By 6:30 pm, all of the teams were packed up, solar cars rolling into their trailers, the parking lot a frenzy of activity as students and scrutineers were rushing to tidy up. Then it was off to the University of Texas Austin for the awards dinner.

The winners of the 2014 Formula Sun Grand Prix were announced: 1st place - University of Michigan, 2nd place - Oregon State University, 3rd place tied - University of Minnesota & Western Michigan University. Other awards were given as well, from things like record-setting fastest lap time (Iowa State) and fastest egress time (ETS) to longest time spent in dynamics scrutineering (Principia). Then the mic was opened up for anyone to come up and say a few words. Many teams sent members up to thank other teams for their kindness and support. After a battery fire and 2 days of no sun, this was one of the most interesting and troublesome FSGPs that put teams in such difficult positions, but also showed the bond that solar teams have as they showed no hesitation in helping each other out. SunStang thanked MIT, and UofC, but most of all OSU for their unwavering help.

At the beginning of the week, we were all of 3 people. We doubled in size overnight halfway through the week, but even then we were only a mighty 6 people. But it didn't seem like we were such a small team, because we weren't alone. We had the support of the scrutineers, who wanted us to give it our all and get on that track, and the support of other teams, especially OSU, who knew how hard everyone was working and wanted everyone to share in the experience of racing your home built car on a Formula 1 track.

Despite not racing, SunStang left Austin a stronger team than when we left London. It was an amazing experience to work on our hand made solar car in a garage where Formula 1 teams would be working on their cars. We made so much more progress in 6 days than anyone could have imagined. We learned an incredible amount from the scrutineers and other teams, people who live and breathe solar car and know the struggles we face. Not only have we absorbed a lot of technical information on how to improve our car, but being in the presence of the top teams in North America has shown us the importance of the team itself. It's not just about building a good car, but about a cohesive team that works as one and is strong in our goals, dedication and love of learning.

SunStang was reborn about 2 years ago. We have literally built a car out of nothing. Every person who has brought a part of the car to life has put in countless hours, shed endless sweat and tears, and poured their heart into this car. We were a ragtag group of students, the underdogs, struggling to make a name for ourselves. I can quote a variety of cheesy and inspirational modern Canadian songs (Drake's Started from the Bottom, Hedley's Anything) and even a Bon Jovi song (Living on a Prayer, anyone?), but they don't do our story justice. We have less than a year, but you won't believe the things we're going to achieve in that time. Next summer, SunStang is going to be back at the FSGP. Next summer, we will be a force to be reckoned with. Next summer we will be better and stronger.

Next summer, I'm speeding up that hill.

-Ayeda