Spectators gathered at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center Monday afternoon to watch as the Solar Car Challenge competitors arrived in Casper.
Collegiate teams from around the world began their timed 10-day, 1,700-mile race in Omaha, Nebraska earlier this week. The route to Bend, Oregon roughly follows that of the historic Oregon Trail.
The University of Michigan solar car rolled in first with the team hailing all the way from the Western Sydney University in Australia close behind. The teams got right to work prepping the car for the next leg of its cross-country journey.
Max Mammone, one of the drivers for Western Sydney University, explains that he enjoys challenging himself, expanding his knowledge within his engineering studies, and fixing things on the fly during the challenge. “It’s that on-the-go thinking that makes a difference between first and third place,” he adds.
Western Michigan driver Sarah Rolniak, an aerospace engineer graduate, has been with the solar car team for all four years of her college experience. Though the team is not officially in the race anymore, Rolniak says that she enjoys showcasing all of the hard work the team has put into the car throughout the year.
Single-rider cars are arriving this afternoon with the multiple-passenger cars arriving later in the day. The event is free and open to the public. The cars will stop in Lander, Wyoming tomorrow.
University of Michigan students prepare their car for the next drive. (Brittani Wert, Oil City)
(Brittani Wert, Oil City)
(Brittani Wert, Oil City)
(Brittani Wert, Oil City)
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