6-24-99

Contacts:
Allen Ihlefeld, Team PrISUm, (515) 231-0363
Skip Derra, News Service, (515) 294-4917

SOLAR CARS RUN IN CLOUDS AND RAIN IN DAY 5 OF SUNRAYCE

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State's PrISUm Phoenix solar car moved into fourth place at the end of the fifth day of Sunrayce 99.

The PrISUm Phoenix solar car was slowed by the cloudy and rainy weather and then halted by traffic. Iowa State's solar car made it 117 miles into the 134-mile race course before running out of power near Atlanta.

The first team to complete today's leg (Clemson, S.C., to Atlanta) of Sunrayce 99 was Queen's University, which completed the course in 5:38:20 for an average speed of 23.80 mph. They were followed by University Missouri-Rolla, which finished in 5:39:10 (23.74 mph); University Missouri-Columbia in 6:24:50 (20.93 mph); and Stanford University/ University of California-Berkeley in 6:51:39 (19.56 mph).

Iowa State began the day in 5th place overall.

"We tried running the course conservatively, but towards the end of the route the traffic around Atlanta slowed us down considerably," said Team PrISUm director Allen Ihlefeld. "We eventually just ran out of power."

Tomorrow is a much needed off day for all of the solar car teams. Not only will the teams get a chance to regroup, they also may be allowed by Sunrayce officials to trailer their cars to a sunny spot. The race will resume on Saturday, June 26, with a 165-mile route from Atlanta to Macon, Ga.

Sunrayce 99 coincides with the week of the summer solstice. The 1,424-mile race began June 20 in Washington, D.C., and ends June 29 in Orlando, Fla.

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.

Team PrISUm's Web site includes images and updates on the team's performance.

Iowa State homepage

University Relations, online@iastate.edu
Copyright © 1999, Iowa State University, all rights reserved
URL: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~nscentral/releases/99/june/day5.html
Revised 06/25/99