Team PrISUm’s solar car, Sol Invictus, finished eighth in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge, a 2,400-mile, 10-day race from Texas to Canada.

The team’s project director, Sarah Kelly, senior in mechanical engineering, said they had a rough time getting the car ready during the week of qualifiers in Creston, Texas.

“Nobody really slept while we were there,” Kelly said.  “I think we did pretty well, considering what we went through before the race.”

Luke Martz, junior in political science and member of Team PrISUm, said the car’s brakes gave out on the first day, which caused Sol Invictus to bump into the back of the team’s lead car. No real damage was done to either car and Martz said other teams in the race offered to help them resolve the issue.

“You found competition and camaraderie in the same setting – teams helped each other out,” Martz said.

He said it was interesting to drive across the United States and into Canada, saying that it was easier for him because he was in the support vehicle that could go the speed limit. The solar car drove at a fairly steady 35 mph.

“You’re in there by yourself for up to six hours at a time,” said Matt Martin, senior in aerospace engineering and one of two drivers for Team PrISUm. “Sometimes you have to sing a song to keep yourself awake.”

The $400,000 Sol Invictus has no air-conditioning, but Martin said the heat wasn’t really a problem because of a ventilation system that cycles fresh air into the car. The car is also equipped with a CamelBak water pouch to keep the drivers hydrated.

Martin said the car wasn’t difficult to drive, although the ride was bumpy and the steering a little sensitive. “It’s kind of like driving a go-kart, really. It can actually accelerate pretty quickly.”

Team PrISUm was one of 25 teams that signed up for the North American Solar Challenge, one of 15 cars that actually raced and one of 13 cars that finished. Team PrISUm finished with a final time of 91 hours and 12 minutes.

“We were pretty happy – we felt that was about the best we could have done,” Martin said. “To be a team that finished was a pretty big deal.”

Martz said Team PrISUm was given the aesthetics award for having the best-looking car in the race, but he said he felt like the team had the potential to finish a lot better than they did.

“The team was content, but I wanted to do better,” Martz said. “I’m kind of a ball-buster in that sense.”

The University of Michigan won the race with a final time of 51 hours and 41 minutes, followed by Principia College, Germany’s FH Bochum Solar Car Team, Canada’s University of Waterloo and the University of Minnesota.

Kelly said Team PrISUm has already elected new officers for next year, and they will be using the lessons they learned in this year’s race to make an even better car for the next one.

“They’ve got a lot of work ahead of them,” she said.