Words just came down the wire from Evan Stumpges of American Solar Challenge, below:
“We’re thrilled to announce that FSGP 2015 will be returning to Circuit of The Americas in Austin, TX July 26-31, 2015 (Sun-Fri), with the first 3 days being scrutineering and the last 3 days being the track race. Mark your calendars! Additional details to follow as they become available.”
Formula Sun 2015 Regulations
(Please click on red links and note magenta)
Please click on Formula Sun 2015 Regulations to review details of the 44-page Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) 2015 Regulations.
The Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) is hosted by the Innovators Educational Foundation. It promotes and celebrates educational excellence and engineering creativity. Fueled by the spirit of friendly competition and teamwork, the FSGP event champions the creative integration of technical and scientific expertise across a range of exciting disciplines (such as engineering, mathematics, sciences, businesses, in multi-disciplined experiential learning and in subsequent careers.) The Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) is an annual track race that is held on grand prix or road style closed courses. This unique style of solar car racing is open to teams from universities and colleges around the world and truly tests the limits of the vehicles in handling curves, braking, and acceleration.
On years when the American Solar Challenge (ASC) is held, FSGP serves as the qualifier race for this competition. Teams must successfully complete FSGP to prove their vehicles before they are allowed to start the cross-country ASC journey. Below, you will see videos (filmed by Michael Nunamaker, interviewed, edited, and uploaded by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker) of some of the solar cars and students that had participated during the ASC (Americal Solar Challenge) 2012:
The racing strategy applied during the three day FSGP track event is different than the cross-country ASC event. Driver training, passing strategy, and quick pit stops are crucial for teams racing in FSGP. It’s also essential to have a diligent team member in the timing booth and follow all of the rules of the track to ensure all laps get counted.
The winner of FSGP is determined by the total number of laps completed over the three days of racing. The team that completes the fastest single lap around the track is also recognized in the awards ceremony. If your university is interested in entering the next FSGP competition, please visit the Formula Sun 2015 Regulations of the event.
Please keep in mind that the Registration Deadlines is on p.7 of the Formula Sun Regulations. We will keep you posted of its location and date of the actual race in future post:
Initial registration package is due: March 1, 2015
Technical Documents are due: April 1, 2015
Track registration package is due: April 1, 2015
A special note for Innovators Educational Foundation: It is a 501(c)(3) organization that is supported with 100% volunteers from all across the United States. These volunteers gave/give their time freely, understanding the importance of education and the impact that real experiences have in a learning environment. For information on how you and your organization can support their effort, please visit their sponsorship page.
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your questions/comments/suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
Please click on Formula Sun 2015 Regulations to review details of the 44-page Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) 2015 Regulations.
The Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) is hosted by the Innovators Educational Foundation. It promotes and celebrates educational excellence and engineering creativity. Fueled by the spirit of friendly competition and teamwork, the FSGP event champions the creative integration of technical and scientific expertise across a range of exciting disciplines (such as engineering, mathematics, sciences, businesses, in multi-disciplined experiential learning and in subsequent careers.) The Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) is an annual track race that is held on grand prix or road style closed courses. This unique style of solar car racing is open to teams from universities and colleges around the world and truly tests the limits of the vehicles in handling curves, braking, and acceleration.
On years when the American Solar Challenge (ASC) is held, FSGP serves as the qualifier race for this competition. Teams must successfully complete FSGP to prove their vehicles before they are allowed to start the cross-country ASC journey. Below, you will see videos (filmed by Michael Nunamaker, interviewed, edited, and uploaded by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker) of some of the solar cars and students that had participated during the ASC (Americal Solar Challenge) 2012:
The racing strategy applied during the three day FSGP track event is different than the cross-country ASC event. Driver training, passing strategy, and quick pit stops are crucial for teams racing in FSGP. It’s also essential to have a diligent team member in the timing booth and follow all of the rules of the track to ensure all laps get counted.
The winner of FSGP is determined by the total number of laps completed over the three days of racing. The team that completes the fastest single lap around the track is also recognized in the awards ceremony. If your university is interested in entering the next FSGP competition, please visit the Formula Sun 2015 Regulations of the event.
Please keep in mind that the Registration Deadlines is on p.7 of the Formula Sun Regulations. We will keep you posted of its location and date of the actual race in future post:
Initial registration package is due: March 1, 2015
Technical Documents are due: April 1, 2015
Track registration package is due: April 1, 2015
A special note for Innovators Educational Foundation: It is a 501(c)(3) organization that is supported with 100% volunteers from all across the United States. These volunteers gave/give their time freely, understanding the importance of education and the impact that real experiences have in a learning environment. For information on how you and your organization can support their effort, please visit their sponsorship page.
~have a bright and sunny day~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any of your questions/comments/suggestions will be welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
American Solar Challenge 2012, Oregon State University near finish line (credit: sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker)
I can’t wait to let you know about the American Solar Challenge 2014 (ASC/FSGP 2014) scheduled to take place in July of 2014. The 2014 American Solar Challenge is going to be an 8 day 1700+ mile road course traveling through 7 states from Austin, TX to St. Paul/Minneapolis, MN. Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP 2014) will be returning to the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, TX! COTA provided excellent facilities and served as a great host for FSGP 2013.
Just a quick reminder of what happened last time at American Solar Challenge 2012, video of some special moments at ASC2012 (1 of 2) below:
Gathered, edited, uploaded by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker & filmed by Michael Nunamaker.
Any of your comments will be welcomed below or via sunisthefuture@gmail.com (please note if you do not want your email to be shared)
For those of you who are waiting for the result of the Formula Sun Grand Prix (July 10-12, 2012, @ Monticello Motor Club in Monticello, NY) and Stage I of American Solar Challenge (ASC) 2012, started on July 14, 2012, at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Parking Lot G, Rochester, NY 14623,
American Solar Challenge 2012 Displays on July 13, 2012, at Rochester Institute of Technology, Parking Lot G
American Solar Challenge 2012 Displays on July 13, 2012, at Rochester Institute of Technology, Parking Lot G
and stopped on July 14, 2012 at the Tom Ridge Center, 301 Peninsular Drive, Erie, PA 16505. This stage closed at 4:00 pm on July 14, 2012. Please also refer to some of our previous posts regarding ASC 2012 July 9, 2012 post of http://sunisthefuture.net and Jan. 13, 2012 post of http://sunisthefuture.net . Results of the Formula Sun Grand Prix and Stage I of American Solar Challenge 2012 are listed below :
Last updated (and finalized) on 7-12-2012 -17:45 Eastern. Each lap is 1.6 miles. * Team Not Yet Inspected – SeeTeam Status (click & see)for more info
*End of Formula Sun Grand Prix: University of MI with highest total, IA State University with second highest total (IA State University also has the Fastest Lap record at 2:18), Western MI University with third highest total. Cars must be both nimble and capable of rapid acceleration to succeed on this course. Teams must complete 105 laps in a single day, or 160 cumulative laps over two consecutive days, in order to qualify for ASC. Each driver must also complete a minimum of 25 laps to be allowed to drive on the road race. As you can see, the list of cars that have qualified for ASC is below:
American Solar Challenge (ASC) 2012: Stage 1 Results, below:
Team # and Name Rochester Start Erie Finish Penalty Time Elapsed Time
2 – Michigan 09:00:00 13:08:29 00:05:00 04:13:29
9 – Iowa State 09:01:00 13:23:35 00:00:00 04:22:34
Remember our coverage on Veolia World Solar Challenge of 2011 between Darwin and Adelaide, Australia? Here, in North America, we will have our very own solar car race soon, the American Solar Challenge, from July 14-21, 2012. The event will take student teams and their solar cars from Rochester, NY, to St. Paul, MN. This is a competition for student teams to design, build, and drive solar-powered cars that will race through 1,650 mile course through multiple cities (in NY-PA-OH-MI-IL-WI-MN) across the United States. All teams (18 teams have registered and 16 teams are planning to compete in both Formula Sun Grand Prix-July 10-12, 2012 and the American Solar Challenge-July 14-21, 2012) have to go through three days (July 7-9, 2012) of careful scrutineering process in Monticello, NY, at the Monticello Raceway, where each and every solar car is inspected from electrical and mechanical engineering adherence (such as body and sizing) to safety regulations and dynamic testing (consisting of a slalom course followed by a breaking test where each driver must demonstrate that he/she can come to a complete and controlled stop, under wet driving conditions, within a time limit) before the solar car will be allowed to enter the track. This is a very friendly competition, so occasionally some teams are given additional shot at the braking qualifier. The purpose and emphasis of the scrutineering process is in safety and adherence to regulation. Then Scrutineering will be followed by three days of track racing, the Formula Sun Grand Prix portion of the event. On July 13, 2012, solar car teams will travel to Rochester, NY, to be displayed and to prepare for the start of the cross-country rally, The American Solar Challenge. On July 14, solar car teams will leave on the start of the race at 9:00AM at one minute interval.
Day I (July 14, 2012): Rochester, NY———>Erie, PA
Day II (July 15, 2012): Erie, PA—————–>Mansfield, OH
Day III (July 16, 2012):Mansfield, OH———->Ann Arbor, MI
Day IV (July 17, 2012):Ann Arbor, MI——–>Kalamazoo, MI
Day V (July 18, 2012): Kalamazoo, MI——–>Normal, IL
Day VI (July 19, 2012): Normal, IL————->Verona, WI
Day VII (July 20, 2012): Verona, WI————>LaCrosse, WI
Day VIII (July 21, 2012): LaCrosse, WI———->St. Paul, MN
The American Solar Challenge race will finish at the Capitol Building of St. Paul, MN, on July 21, 2012.
Below, please allow me to share a clip of ASC 2012 (American Solar Challenge 2012):
Take a look at the team photos of this year’s American Solar Challenge solar race teams (University of MI, University of KY, MIT, IL State University, IA State University, Northwestern University, MI State University, Western MI University, State University of NY-New Paltz, Principia College, University of MN, Georgia Institute of Technology, Polytechnique Montreal, University of CA-Berkeley, OR State University, University of NM) . So far, we’ve received reporting of Missouri University of Science and Technology Solar Car Team has withdrawn from the 2012 American Solar Challenge due to insufficient time in completing the vehicle before the race starts (July 14, 2012) in Rochester, NY. “The team, which consists of a large percentage of new student members, was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the project and thus the design and fabrication took longer than anticipated,” says Dr. Roger A. LaBoube, director of S&T’s Student Design and Experiential Learning Center. “I’m sure our team will take what we learned during this process in preparation for the next big race.” It is true that experience really matters and we wish Missouri University of Science and Technology Solar Car Team the best next time. Let this also be a lesson for all potential future entering teams: please allot a great deal of safety factor in terms of preparation time because these are complicated designs and it will always take more time than one anticipates.
Here are some links/video clips that may be of interest to you: American Solar Challenge 2012 official site, past American Solar Challenge 2010, Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011, below:
More coverage of the Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) 2012-July 10-12, 2012 and American Solar Challenge (ASC) 2012-July 14-21, 2012 will unfold in future posts. Until then, I wish all of these teams…..
~bright and sunny days during the complete course of the race~
Gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker
Any comments and suggestions are welcomed at sunisthefuture@gmail.com
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
