Team PrISUm completed its 11-day trek across the country Wednesday in Claremont, Calif.

The team was one of 20 to compete in the American Solar Challenge, a 2,300-mile race held July 15 to 25. The race began in Chicago and crossed a number of states, including Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.

Team members said the intense heat and the roads made the race difficult.

“The roads out here are bumpier than anything I’ve ever seen in Iowa,” said Nick Mohr, director of Team PrISUm.

The team alternated three drivers during the race. A typical racing day was 10 hours long and the drivers split each day into two shifts, said Tim Lappe, one of the drivers.

“You have to be in constant concentration to keep [the car] in the middle of the road,” Lappe said.

Lappe said the heat actually helped him stay in the car longer.

“When it was hot, because I would sweat more and I wouldn’t have to go to the bathroom,” he said. “I had one cool day and about half an hour after getting into the car, I had to go to the bathroom.”

The team experienced two problems during the race: a substitute power tracking system had to be used and the suspension had to be replaced. Mohr said the failures set the team behind.

“It’s an experimental vehicle – things like this are just going to happen,” he said. “We had no reason to suspect anything would fail. This was over 2,000 miles of racing. Things pop up, things fail.”

As of Wednesday, placements in the race had not yet been announced.

“I’m really proud of how this team has performed,” Mohr said. “This is probably the finest car Iowa State has built . It’s been a really big step for Team PrISUm.”