The high school students in the Hunt-Winston School Solar Car Challenge might be young, but they're ahead of the curve in terms of commuter technology. Thirteen teams entered the challenge, driving 800 miles from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, to Boulder, Colorado.

In the end, an all-female group of students from Houston High School in Mississippi won the "classic" car division, while a team from Choctaw Central High School in Mississippi took the "advanced" title.

At an average speed of 35 miles per hour, the cars weren't precisely lightning fast, but they are road-legal. Race strategy relies more on reliability and consistency than high speeds or tight cornering.

Like a regular road rally, the race was done in stages and stopped each night. The solar vehicles were accompanied by conventional escorts.

However, some of the cars have top speeds like those of regular gasoline-powered cars - the Sundancer II of Houston High School can reportedly hit 100 mph.

The race ended on a field at the University of Colorado at Boulder, which actually put in its own solar installation at the end of last year. The array was designed and built by Bella Energy, a Louisville, Colorado solar installer, and used SunTech photovoltaic panels.

Winners
The Sundancer from Houston High School took home the championship in the open division for the 10th' year in a row.
The Sundancer II, a team made up of only female students from Houston High School, took first place in the classic car division.
The Tushka Hashi III was the entry of Choctaw Central High School, and they claimed first place in the advanced division.

     

 
The History of the Hunt-Winston School Solar Car Challenge
In 1993, the Winston Solar Car Team launched an education program to provide curriculum materials, on-site visits, and workshop opportunities for high schools across the country. This program, a part of The Winston School (Dallas, TX), was designed to motivate students in the sciences, engineering, and technology. The end product of each two-year education cycle is the Winston Solar Challenge: a closed-track event at the Texas Motor Speedway, or a cross country race designed to give students an opportunity to display their work. The Winston Solar Education Program has been shared with more than 900 schools in 20 countries.

The first Challenge in 1995 attracted ninety schools leading to nine schools actually building cars for the 1995 race. Three cars qualified to run. The 1997 Challenge grew to over three hundred fifty schools in five countries. Eight cars qualified to run the 1997 race, a 600-mile cross-country event from Dallas to San Antonio. The 1999 race, a 1600 mile event from Dallas to Los Angeles, saw eight teams enjoy the fun of high school solar car racing. The 2001 race started in Round Rock, TX at Dell Computers and traveled 1400 miles to Columbus, Indiana. In 2003, ten challengers endeavored to race from Round Rock, TX to the Florida Solar Energy Center (Cocoa, FL).

In 2009, the Hunt Oil Company accepted the role as "Title Sponsor" for the Winston Solar Challenge. The Hunt-Winston School Solar Car Challenge now hosts annual events based on the support of the Hunt Oil Company, The Winston School, The Texas State Energy Conservation Office, and the Texas Motor Speedway.

 

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