Mississippi and New York Teams Win Cross-Country Solar Car Race

August 1, 2007

Photo of a solar car traveling on a public street. The car is a rectangular box mounted on two front wheels, with two closely spaced wheels mounted to the center of its back end. A tail-like structure juts out above the wheels. The front and sides of the box are cut away and enclosed in plastic, through which a driver is visible. A large solar panel forms a flat top for the car, overhanging the vehicle on all sides.

The team from the Houston Vocational Center in Houston, Mississippi, has won the Dell-Winston School Solar Car Challenge for the seventh consecutive time. This year, they tied with a team from New York. Credit: Dell-Winston Solar Car Challenge

The teams from Houston, Mississippi; Decatur, Mississippi; and Newburgh, New York, have claimed the top spots in this year's Dell-Winston School Solar Challenge, which began in Round Rock, Texas, on July 17th and ended in Newburgh, New York, on July 24th. Nine teams from California, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, and Texas took part in this year's race, which covered 2,020 miles. Five teams raced in the Classic Division, which requires that participants adhere to specific types of solar cells, motors, and body designs, while four teams raced in the Open Division, which allows the use of high-efficiency solar cells in unique body designs.

Tying for first place in the Open Division, the "Sundancer" team from the Houston Vocational Center and the "Sol Machine VII" team from Newburgh Free Academy reached average speeds of 38.76 and 38.42 miles per hour, respectively, and traveled about 689 miles. This marks the seventh consecutive win for the Houston team. Taking first place in the Classic Division, the Newton County Solar Car Team from Decatur drove at an average speed of 17.05 miles per hour and traveled 466 miles. See the Dell press release and the race results on the Dell-Winston School Solar Challenge Web site.