September 22, 2005 Source: University of Calgary:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/sept05/solar-car.html Panasonic World Solar Challenge:Soleon sails through scrutineering,readies for time trials A finicky turn signal was the only hiccup Thursday when the University of Calgary’s solar car successfully underwent scrutineering for the 2005 Panasonic World Solar Challenge, which begins Sunday in Darwin, Australia. Team members fixed the signal’s wiring on the spot and will now prepare for Saturday’s time trials at a local racetrack, the next pre-race hurdle leading up to the 3,000-kilometre journey across the Australian Outback. “We’re excited to be here representing Calgary and Canada on the world stage,” says Colby Bell, the team’s project manager and mechanical manager. “It’s been a major undertaking just getting to the starting line, but the car is running well and we’re looking forward to qualifying and getting under way Sunday morning.” Registration and scrutineering continues on Friday in the Foskey Pavilion of the Royal Agricultural Society of the Northern Territory, which is located in Winnellie, about 15 kilometres from Darwin. During scrutineering race officials examine safety features and make sure the design and construction of each of the 23 vehicles competing fall within race guidelines. The World Solar Cup, a metre-high trophy featuring a stylized silver globe with a golden sun atop it, is currently set up at the centre of the Foskey Pavilion. Nuna, the powerful solar car built by a Dutch team from the Technical University of Delft, has won the last two World Solar Challenges and is favoured to capture a third. The Dutch team travels with a media entourage consisting of two print reporters, two television crews and a wire agency photographer. Team Nuna is the subject of a daily, 20-minute television program back in the Netherlands, where people avidly follow all their activities. On Saturday, Soleon, the U of C car, will be required to drive two laps around the Hidden Valley Race Track in nearby Berrimah, as well as negotiate a slalom course and demonstrate the effectiveness of its brakes. The time the U of C records on the two laps will determine its pole position for Sunday morning’s start. “From our perspective there is really no advantage in starting near the front, since we’d only wind up getting passed by several of the other teams,” Bell says. The University of Michigan, which won the North American Solar Challenge in July, and teams from Japan and Taiwan are also expected to be strong. Soleon was air-freighted to Australia and arrived in Melbourne on Sept. 8. It took three days to get the car through customs, after which team members transported it 750 kilometres to Adelaide and then 3,000 kilometres up the Stuart Highway to Darwin. The U of C Solar Car team in Australia is a leaner version of the team that successfully completed the 2005 North American Solar Challenge and finished 13^th overall in a field of 18. It is believed to be the first rookie team that has finished the race. For more information, or to arrange for an interview with one of the U of C Solar Car Team Members, contact Media Relations Advisor Greg Harris, who is traveling with the team, at (403) 997-0107 (satellite phone). To speak to a media advisor in Calgary, contact Grady Semmens, (403) 220-7722. The University of Calgary, the Schulich School of Engineering and the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy are jointly supporting U of C participation in the World Solar Challenge. The U of C is one of North America's leading centres for energy studies, including research on responsible and environmentally sound methods – such as solar power – that will ensure a sustainable energy supply. The Schulich School// of Engineering is the fastest-growing engineering faculty in Canada. The School is committed to being First Choice in Canada for accredited engineering education, for internationally acclaimed research, and for service to the community and the engineering profession. The Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy is a unique, collaborative institute that develops new methods and technology to unlock energy resources and protect the environment for future generations. __________ Colleen Turner Associate Director, Communications University of Calgary 220-2920 (w) 650-1153 (cell) 220-1312 (fax) colleen.turner@ucalgary.ca
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