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6-19-97

Contact:
Skip Derra, News Service, (515) 294-4917

ISU'S SOLAR CAR TEAM FINISHES FIRST LEG OF SUNRAYCE 97

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University's Team PrISUm finished the first leg of Sunrayce 97 in 2 hours, 21 minutes and 28 seconds with an average speed of 27.9 mph. The team currently is ranked 31st.

The University of Western Ontario leads the 36-car field, completing the 65-mile course from Indianapolis to Terre Haute, Ind., in 1 hour and 36 minutes (average speed 40.95 mph). Massachusetts Institute of Technology was second (40.6 mph) followed by Stanford University/University of California, Berkeley (40.5 mph). These unofficial standings do not include penalties to any of the race teams.

"Our car ran great today," said Team PrISUm director Beth Hunter. "There were times when we had it going 50 mph. We'll spend the rest of today recharging our batteries so we're at 100 percent charge for tomorrow's leg."

Day 2 of Sunrayce 97 is the longest leg of the race, 169 miles from Terre Haute to Godfrey, Ill.

"We're pretty close to five race teams in front of us," Hunter said. "We hope to move up in the standings during tomorrow's run."

Yesterday evening, Sunrayce officials gave special recognition to Team PrISUm, presenting the members with a "Spirit of Sunrayce" award. The award recognizes the Iowa State students' perseverance through adversity, by getting their car in race shape after an April 29 accident, and by showing good sportsmanship in sharing their tools and materials with other teams during qualifiers.

Sunrayce 97 coincides with the week of the summer solstice. The 1,230-mile race began June 19 (today) in Indianapolis and ends June 28 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Sunrayce is an ongoing educational program that culminates in a biennial cross-country race of solar-powered cars. The program is open to colleges, universities, trade schools and other post-secondary educational institutions.

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Editors:

The ISU News Service will provide daily updates on Team PrISUm to reporters covering the race. Contact Skip Derra, (515) 294-4917 or (515) 255-3422 (home).

Official race standings and times can be obtained by accessing the Sunrayce web site at http://www.sunrayce.com/.

Team PrISUm is maintaining a web site during the race, which includes images and updates on the their performance. The site is located at http://www.public.iastate.edu/~prisum/sunrayce/

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Revised 6/19/97