Looking back on the week of June 1st through the 5th, the events that took place at Cresson, Texas were the culmination of many great things that represent our solar car team. I strongly believe that the members of the University of Kentucky Solar Car Team are some of the most resourceful and innovative students I have met. In the last few months leading up to the race, I was tasked with leading our car from last year's race, Gato del Sol III, into working condition and assembling the team that will ultimately participate in the event. I could not have done it without the great support of the Team Manager, Nick Such, and the large group of team members who helped bring the car to racing status.

At first, getting ready for the race seemed like a lot of paperwork but the realization that the car needed a significant amount of maintenance with very little available funds proved daunting. Memories of last year passed through my head and the challenge of very little manpower to get the car ready for the North American Solar Challenge. I was overwhelmed to say the least. Fortunately, our team has grown not only in size but also in capability since last year and I am proud of all the members who got the car working in time for the trip to Texas.

After we arrived at the Texas Motorsport Ranch, our car passed scrutineering and qualifying but came to a substantial roadblock when our motor controller (the magic black box that allows our car to run) quit. We are very lucky and grateful to have friends in Northwestern University and the University of Minnesota, as the former allowed us to borrow their spare controller and both gave us the aid in getting it to work. Thank you all! (More...)