Iowa State’s Team PrISUm is finishing up its 1997 solar car and preparing for the biannual Solarayce ’97 with hopes of finishing better than before.

Sunrayce ’97, a 10-day solar car race across the Midwest, is scheduled to begin June 20 in Indianapolis, Ind.

The race route climbs in elevation running on secondary highways through Indiana, into Illinois, through Missouri and Kansas and finishing in Colorado.

“We have participated in every Sunrayce and this will be our fourth one,” Program Director Beth Hunter, a senior in civil engineering and program director, said. “The highest we have ever placed is 10th, but crossing the finish line is a success in itself.”

Hunter said after two years and 80,000 hours, they hope to have the new solar car, ExCYtor, finished in the next two weeks.

She said when the car is completed, they hope to have time for “testing and to put some mileage on the car” before they leave for qualifiers in Mesa, Ariz.

To qualify, Hunter said they have to go through static and dynamic testing, called scrutineering, and must complete a race test and a brake test. She said they also have to explain to judges why they used certain materials to build their car.

ISU’s car building team is about 50 members strong and has one adviser, Jim Hill. Hunter said there are 30 students who are actively involved in the car’s construction.

However, she said about 20 members will travel to qualifiers and to the actual Sunrayce.

Hunter said there will be a total of 62 teams from around the nation trying to qualify for 40 available spots in the race that is an estimated 1,200 miles.

Although 40 teams is the maximum number the race will allow, Hunter said in the past that quota has never been met because some teams do not finish their cars or qualify.

Eric Flakney, assistant director of PrISUm, said ISU’s new model has many advantages over the old one.

“Well, I think we will do very well in the race. We have an improved system that will give us real-time feedback so it will allow us to tell the driver that the motor is over-heating, to slow down, kick in the fan, cool the motor. It will allow us to keep tracking on solar cells,” he said.

Flakney also said the team spent the fall semester developing a computer model that “takes into account weather conditions, road conditions, aerodynamic conditions, rolling co-efficiency analysis and tons of other factors.”

He said the computer program still has a few glitches, but it will be an asset they take along with them in the chase van.

The top speed the 1995 car reached was 64 mph. Hunter said they hope this year’s car will go 70 mph.

Hunter, who went on Sunrayce ’95, said a typical race day is about 22 hours long.

She said the team wakes up at 4 a.m. and begins charging the car at 6 a.m. The racing hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or as soon as they cross each day’s finish line.

After that, Hunter said they recharge the car from 6 to 9 p.m. and stay wide-eyed until 2 a.m. discussing what needs to be done to the car.

Ten members of the team will try out for the four driving positions. Hunter said the two most efficient drivers do most of the racing.

“Our goal is to finish in the top 10 or the top 5,” Flakney said.

Hunter, a veteran who attended the 1995 race, said their success depends on the judges and the unexpected.