Iowa State’s Team PrISUm received the checkered flag for an unprecedented fifth-place finish in Sunrayce ’99 on June 29.

Team members credited the record finish to a high-quality car and sound strategy.

Inclement weather hampered the 1,500 mile, nine-day solar car race and kept finish times high.

“There was an odd weather system out here,” said Allen Ihlefeld, former director of Team PrISUm.

When there is cloudy or rainy weather, the solar-powered cars still run.

However, “you are not able to bring your battery pack back up to full power,” Ihlefeld said.

With less battery power, the team’s car, Phoenix, cannot reach its full potential, Ihlefeld said.

“We designed our car to be more effective at higher speeds,” he said.

Despite these hurdles, Team PrISUm finished as the highest-ranked ISU team ever at Sunrayce.

Asten Rathbun, former strategy team member, said the team’s planning was the determining factor in the race this year.

There were no mechanical or electrical breakdowns during the race, Rathbun said.

Ihlefeld said the team was also proud of its knowledge of the car.

“We confirmed that having a good car is key, but knowing how to run it is the real magic,” he said. “We went into Sunrayce ’97 with 60 [test] miles on the car, and this one we came in with almost 1,500 [test] miles. You could tell the difference.”

Overall, Team PrISUm was satisfied with its accomplishment.

“We’ve brought Iowa State into contention,” Ihlefeld said. “The next team just needs to take it that one step further.”