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The last two weeks have been exceptionally busy ones for members of Greenville High School’s Iron Lions solar car team as they put in the last-minute work and testing on their cars for this year’s Solar Car Challenge.
On Wednesday the team will head to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth to try for their eighth and ninth national championships with this year will marking the return of the Iron Lions competing in two different categories. Their car, Invictus, which they have entered and have been steadily since 2021, will be competing in the event’s advanced division. And another car, simply named Iron Lion, will compete in the advanced classic division.
Some of the differences between the “advanced classic” and “advanced” divisions are that advanced classic requires teams to build and drive solar cars that do not have hub motors and whose solar panels are rated at 22% efficiency or lower, while teams competing in the advanced division are able to explore newer technology, including using hub motors and solar panels with efficiency ratings higher that 22%, and also using other battery types.
After checking in this Wednesday, the teams spend the next three days undergoing the “scrutineering” process, in which judges will make sure that each car meets standards for structural integrity, braking, electrical and battery requirements, the car’s ability to run for an extended period of time and other criteria.
Scrutineering also includes student presentations along with question-and-answer sessions between judges and team members.
Once scrutineering is finished, Invictus and Iron Lion will begin with the first of four racing days.
In the advanced classic division, Iron Lion will be facing off against nine other cars – mostly from teams in Texas – but also one from Florida, another from Missouri and even one from Connecticut.
Meanwhile, Invictus will be facing three elite East Coast teams in the advanced division – one from Washington, another from Oregan and a third from California.
This year’s Solar Car Challenge will also bring the whole four-day race back to Texas Motor Speedway after last year’s cross-country race.
While Invictus won in the advanced division last year, the victory was bittersweet as the planned eight-day 925-mile race from Fort Worth to Palmdale, California was cut to only four days when several judges became sick with COVID-19.
Despite only making it to El Paso last year before having to turn back, the Iron Lions traveled a total of 457.3 miles, which was a good margin above the runner-up team, the Oregon Solar Car Team from Bend, Oregon, who accumulated a total of 353.2 miles.
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