Students from UMR will put their champion sun-powered car, Solar Miner IV, to the test one last time May 16-22 in the Formula Sun Grand Prix, a solar car race in Topeka, Kan.

Last summer, the Solar Miner IV won the American Solar Challenge, a solar-powered car race from Chicago to Los Angeles. The car is the sixth solar-powered vehicle to be built by UMR students since 1993. Its immediate predecessor, the Solar Miner III, took second in the American Solar Challenge in July 2001. Then in November 2001, the Solar Miner III team placed fourth at the World Solar Challenge in Australia. A total of 43 teams from around the world participated.

The Formula Sun Grand Prix will be held at Topeka’s Heartland Park, and will feature solar-powered cars from U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities. Unlike the American Solar Challenge events, which involved cross-country routes, this event will be held on a 2.1-mile grand prix road course.

Related Links

For more information about the Formula Sun Grand Prix, visit the event’s website www.formulasun.org . For more information about the UMR Solar Car team, visit the team’s website web.mst.edu/~solar1 .