Team PrISUm’s solar car, ExCYtor, is back in racing condition with a license to drive.

ExCYtor, which is now licensed by the Department of Motor Vehicles to drive on Iowa roadways, was displayed to the public for the first time after the April 29 accident at a “Breakfast with Champions” Friday morning.

The breakfast gave ISU faculty and staff members a chance to preview the car and the team members an opportunity to thank those who have supported the team in the past.

Team PrISUm will be vying for a spot in Sunrayce ’97, a biennial solar car race. The race will begin in Indianapolis on June 19 and will end in Colorado Springs on June 28.

The second round of qualifying for Sunrayce ’97 will begin on June 15 in Indianapolis. There are 16 spots still open and Team PrISUm believes they have a good chance of qualifying for the race.

Beth Hunter, Team PrISUm director, said ExCYtor is “ready to go and in race formation.”

After the accident, Team PrISUm was able to improve the car because they had more time to rethink how they would have designed the car.

“The cells are coming out better and we have better parts all over, ” said Team PrISUm’s construction manager Jeff Estringer.

The suspension and steering of the car, Estringer said, have also been improved and a dual rear end has been put on to provide more support for the car in case one of the tires were to blow out.

A tire blowout and lack of replacement parts were the reasons Team PrISUm was unable to qualify for Sunrayce ’97 in Mesa, Ariz. PrISUm made building more replacement parts a major component of their repair plans, Estringer said.

“The total expense for repairs so far is $30,000, and we may spend $5,000 more,” Hunter said. “The original estimate for repairs was $55,000.”

The team has been working around the clock in order to get ExCYtor in top racing condition for the qualifiers, Hunter said.

“We believe we will qualify in one of the top-10 spots,” she said. “The best we can hope to qualify is 23rd.”

Brian Galvin, Karla Abrahamson and Andrew Earhart, the three team members who were hospitalized after the accident, are also planning to attend the qualifiers in Indianapolis on June 15 -17.

Galvin, wearing a back brace, was at the breakfast on Friday and is planning to leave with the rest of the team.

“Karla is still having some physical therapy on her thumb, and she is walking now. She will be there for the race. Andrew was hurt the worst. He is back in the hospital for blood clots, but is hoping to join us later,” Hunter said.

In order to build ExCYtor, Team PrISUm received support from many industrial, university and private donors across the nation.

Team members would like to give a special thanks to Bob Brown Collision Center, Clement Auto and Truck, Featherlite Manufacturing, Hawkeye Auto Supply, Iowa Thin Film Technologies, Metalworks, Quality Craft Corp., Boeing, Delphi Automotive, Gemini Corp., Lewis Auto Collision, College of Engineering, Engineering Research Institute and the ISU Foundation for helping out with repairs after the accident.

“Thanks to the general public for their moral and monetary support. It makes us work harder knowing people want to see us succeed,” Hunter said.