Team PrISUm, Iowa State’s solar car team, has captured the pole position for Sunrayce ’99, a nine day, 1,340-mile solar car race from Washington, D.C. to Orlando, Fla., on June 20-29.

PrISUm’s Phoenix solar car made a strong showing at the Sunrayce qualifiers in Milford, Mich., on May 1 and 2.

The 23 teams attempting to qualify for Sunrayce ’99, an event that is held every two years, were expected to complete 125 miles on a closed track. Seventeen of the competing teams qualified.

Allen Ihlefeld, director of Team PrISUm, said teams are allowed eight hours and must average about 25 miles per hour to qualify.

“Our average speed was 40 to 45 miles per hour,” he said.

Ihlfeld said Team PrISUm completed the 125 miles needed to qualify in less than half the time allowed.

“We qualified in three hours and 15 minutes,” he said.

When teams finish early, they race for the remaining time to determine the starting positions for Sunrayce ’99.

Ihlefeld said PrISUm completed just over 300 miles in the allotted time.

ISU racked up the most miles after completing the qualifier, and therefore, will start in the lead position for this year’s race.

Pole position is a distinct advantage in this type of race, Ihlefeld said. Since the race takes place on regular highways, starting ahead can mean staying ahead.

“You don’t have to pass any solar car caravans,” he said.

ISU’s best finish in a past Sunrayce was 10th out of the 36 competitors in the 1993 race. With the prime starting position, Team PrISUm is hoping to break that ISU record.

Team PrISUm has videotape of the entire race route and computer software with simulated speed zones and weather variables to help plan out how they will race.

“Strategy is where we have an advantage,” Ihlefeld said.

Ihlefeld also said he thinks Phoenix’s aerodynamics will ensure a competitive finish for Iowa State in Sunrayce ’99.

“We believe our aerodynamics are superior [to the other participants],” he said.

Brian Moorhead, PrISUm’s systems integration director, said the Phoenix also has run over 800 test miles. This will be an advantage because the extra miles help the team become better acquainted with their car.

“We know more about our car than any other team out there,” he said. “That is what will separate the great teams from the decent teams.”

Ihlefeld said each team enters distinctly different cars despite stringent race guidelines pertaining to the size of the car and the type of solar array it uses.

“The rules are pretty tight but still allow quite a bit of creativity,” Ihlefeld said. “No two cars are the same.”

Building and developing the car is a two-year process.

“We have about 20 students that work 20 hours per week,” Moorhead said.

Despite all the work that goes into the car, Sunrayce is the only competition PrISUm will compete in for the ’99 season. Some team members are confident about their chances in Sunrayce ’99.

“We have a great car and a great team,” said Karla Abrahamson, team PrISUm assistant director.

She predicts at least a top 10 finish for the Phoenix. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we even win the race,” Abrahamson said.

Other top qualifiers behind ISU are Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Ind.; University of Missouri, Rolla; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; and Kansas State University, Manhattan.

The remainder of the 40 spaces open in Sunrayce ’99 will be available to teams that qualify in a “last chance race” held just prior to the June event.