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SOLAR EAGLE III WINS NATIONAL RACE WITH SPIRIT OF COMPETITION AND TEAMWORK

Cal State L.A.'s Solar Eagle III solar car left 34 North American contenders in their shadow as they crossed the Sunrayce 97 finish line solidly in first place at the end of the las, 77-mile leg of the 10-day cross-country solar car competition.

Lead driver Roman Vasquez, a junior majoring in civil engineering, drove the exquisitely-crafted car over the finish line. Supported by a team of 11 students, three faculty and two staff members, the car was able to maintain its 20-minute lead ahead of second-place MIT's Manta GT at the race's end. Solar Eagle III also placed ahead of cars built by such major U.S. universities as Stanford/UC Berkeley, George Washington, Minnesota, Texas A&M, Missouri (Rolla and Columbia), Pennsylvania, Illinois, Western Michigan, New Mexico institute of Technology and even Purdue and Yale, and bettered the times of such Canadian giants as Waterloo, Western Ontario, and McGill.

The flaming yellow Solar Eagle III consistently stayed within the top 5 cars to cross the finish line, although it never actually crossed the line first on any "Rayce" day. Nevertheless, Cal State L.A.'s ultra-reliable car -- which began in the #2 starting position -- hovered at or near the #1 position with some of the best times, overall, throughout the race. Team Solar Eagle III was exhilarated but exhausted at the end of the 1,240+-mile adventure.

"Why did we win?" asked Roman Vasquez, rhetorically. "Because we designed and built this car to be reliable. And it worked -- we were the only team among the top contenders that didn't break down once! We made no pit stops that weren't scheduled stops. We never even blew a tire. Our team's motto was 'Boring is good!... said Vasquez, laughing, "We really didn't want any excitement."

The team had a special "L.A." reception waiting for them at the finish line at Bancroft Park in Old Colorado City. Cal State L.A.'s president, Dr. James M. Rosser, had flown out the night before to be on hand for what he already saw as a major victory for the team and the University.

The team was duly honored, and Solar Eagle III took the inaugural laps around Pike's Peak, a new "Indy-style" raceway that opened in Colorado Springs.

Cal State LA. Solar Eagle III Passes Pre-Race Scrutineering With Flying Colors

When the race got underway Cal State L.A.'s Solar Eagle III was second off the starting line in the fourth U.S. transcontinental solar car race -- Sunrayce '97 -- at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana.

Already at the Speedway, the flaming yellow car was the first to pass the pre-race scrutineering "with all green stickers" according to team leader Kathleen Hansen. Drivers Roman Vasquez and Dylan Wakasa, and the rest of Team Solar Eagle III had been testing the car at the Indianapolis site. The weather has been perfect and the car's performing beautifully," said Hansen.

Previously, in Mesa, Arizona, the spirited team of Cal State L.A. engineering and technology students placed first in the west at the Sunrayce'97 Western Regional Qualifier with a qualifying mileage of 273.60 miles, finishing ahead of solar cars built by Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, Texas A&M, and the University of Missouri. The Solar Eagle III vehicle was in the #2 starting line position at Sunrayce 97, right behind George Washington University whose car finished first at the Eastern Regional Qualifier with a qualifying mileage of 276.86 miles.

Forty universities, colleges and technical schools from the U.S. and Canada competed in the 1,980 km (1,230 miles) Sunrayce '97 from Indianapolis to Colorado Springs, Colorado. According to race sponsors, "the fundamental mission of Sunrayce 97 was to promote and celebrate educational excellence. Fueled by the spirit of friendly competition and teamwork, Sunrayce '97 champions the creative integration of technical and scientific expertise across a range of exciting disciplines."

In preparation for the race, the Solar Eagle III team of students, staff and faculty advisers left its Cal State L.A. travelled en route by trailer to Indianapolis. Racing through the summer solstice, team members drove on highways and roads, pitting their car and racing strategies against the competing solar car teams vying for the national championship.

Cal State L.A.'s sleek new car weighed in at 427 pounds without its batteries and driver, and stands only 3.1 feet high. Using no fossil fuel, Solar Eagle III is an electric car that gets its energy from the sun. The 762 terrestrial-grade silicon cells by Siemens covering the top of the vehicle are mounted painstakingly by hand on an eight square meter section of the car's surface. These cells collect the sun's energy and pass it directly to the motor and to nine rechargeable conventional lead-acid batteries.

The careful craftsmanship evident in the Solar Eagle III is the result of hundreds of hours of work by an expert team of 12 students working with faculty and staff.

Sponsors

Solar Eagle III Corporate Sponsors, who contributed financial support to the project, represent L.A.'s top high-tech companies, engineering firms, local utilities, and transportation-related organizations including Automobile Club of Southern California, Hughes Electronics, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Lockheed Martin Corporation, NASA Langley Research Center, Southern California Edison Company, South Coast Air Quality Management District, and Cal State L.A.'s University Auxiliary Services and Alumni Association. Additional financial support was received from more than 150 Cal State L.A. faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, corporations, and friends who participated in the Solar Eagle HI "Buy a Solar Cell" campaign.

Solar Eagle History

The Solar Eagle III is the third chapter in Cal State L.A.'s exciting trilogy of solar-powered electric vehicles. In 1990, with no prior experience in solar vehicle technology, students from Cal State L.A.'s School of Engineering and Technology designed and built the University's first solar-powered electric car. With the expert guidance of Cal State L.A. faculty -- notably Richard Roberto, faculty adviser -- the Solar Eagle garnered 4th place in the national GM Sunrayce USA in the summer of that year. Competing against some of the top U.S. universities, and securing 10th place in the 1990 World Solar Challenge across Australia.

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