By Sally Pobojewski
News and Information Services
The Solar Car Team has overcome its first major obstacle to victory in the World Solar Challenge—dealing with the logistical nightmare of transporting 20 students, a solar car and several thousand pounds of supplies 9,526 miles around the world to Darwin in Australia’s remote Northern Territory.
“Competing in the World Solar Challenge may turn out to be easier than all the advance work it took to get us to Australia in the first place,” says Dan Ross, the team’s public relations manager. The race begins Sunday (Nov. 7).
Ross gives much of the credit for a trouble-free trip to Bryan Theis, who directs logistics for the Solar Car Team. Arriving in Australia on Oct. 3, Theis had just three days to clear the U-M’s customized semi-trailer through Australian customs in Melbourne; convert the trailer’s hitch and electrical system to make them compatible with Australian metric standards; pick up the semi-rig and driver donated by Ford of Australia; and drive 12 hours to meet his teammates in Sydney.
Ten team members flew to Sydney Oct. 4 accompanied by 40 boxes of supplies and the solar car, Maize & Blue, which was packed in a customized crate and nestled in the cargo bay of a Northwest Airlines 747. Team Manager Andy Carmody was responsible for packing the solar car and supplies.
“Without the support of Northwest Airlines, we never would have made it to Australia,” Carmody says. “They gave us virtually all the 747’s cargo space, plus seats to fly all 20 team members to Australia, at a very generous price. Charlie Anhut, Northwest’s district manager for cargo customer services, even spent all day Sunday at Detroit Metro to make sure our gear and the car were loaded properly.”
Joining Theis in Sydney on Oct. 6,
U-M students transferred the Maize & Blue into its travel trailer and drove to Adelaide on Australia’s southern coast, where the solar cars will finish the World Solar Challenge. After a few days of delay caused by a flu bug that swept through the team, they drove the race route in reverse heading north toward Darwin.
“Their goal was to collect descriptive information on the entire l,864-mile race route and store it in our onboard computer,” says Furqan Nazeeri, the team’s project manager. “We want to know about every hill, stop sign, passing lane, traffic light and dead kangaroo along the highway.”
Nazeeri and the second half of the solar car team flew to Australia on Oct. 15. Joining the rest of the team in Darwin, they then spent two weeks conducting pre-race tests of the Maize & Blue and adjusting to the tropical heat and humidity on Australia’s north coast, which is just 12 degrees south of the equator.
The tropical heat can be debilitating to the solar car as well as to people, Ross says. “Extreme heat and humidity can alter the alignment of magnets in the car’s motor.” To avoid mechanical problems, the corporation that donated the motor and control, MagneTek Inc. of Owosso, is sending technical specialist Steve Wickham to Australia in case adjustments or repairs are needed prior to the race.
According to Joseph Bartlo, team meteorologist, the team can expect temperatures of up to 110 degrees F with humidity levels as high as 80 percent during the first days of the World Solar Challenge.
As the solar cars head south from Darwin, they will pass through some of the hottest, driest and most remote desert regions in the world. Approaching the race finish in Adelaide, temperatures will be moderate, with daily highs in the 70s and nighttime temperatures in the low 40s.
The solar car team will camp alongside the Stuart Highway every night during the race, using tents and sleeping bags donated by Coleman. To keep living expenses to a minimum, team member Stephanie Benjamin will buy groceries along the way and students will take turns cooking dinner in a camper van that will travel with the race caravan.
Now that most of the logistical hassles are behind them, the team members are starting to focus on winning the race, Ross says.
“We designed the Maize & Blue with the World Solar Challenge in mind,” Ross says. “It’s a high-speed, flat-out race where aerodynamic factors and rolling resistance are critically important. The Maize & Blue rates very high in both those categories. Plus we believe our strategy, experience, teamwork and meteorology expertise give us significant advantages.
“Now that we’re here, we can concentrate on winning a world championship for the University of Michigan,” Ross added. “Without the support of our corporate sponsors—especially Ford Motor Co., Northwest Airlines, IBM, MagneTek, GMAC and Conlin-Faber Travel—we would never have made it to Australia.”
