July 8, 2024 , POCATELLO, Idaho
Three students are going to Texas to use solar power in a race. Chris Ulland, 18, and Logan Friesen, 17, from Pocatello, and Krystof Oresky, 17, from the Czech Republic, will compete in the 2024 Solar Car Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. Matthew Land, another team member, cannot attend.
They built a solar-powered car. They will race it for four days at Texas Motor Speedway. Weather and car breakdowns will be challenges. The winner will be the team whose car drives the most miles.
“Building and racing the car is an incredible experience,” Ulland says.
Ulland and Friesen will take turns driving. The others will keep the car running. If something breaks, they must fix it quickly to continue racing.
The first three days are called “scrutineering.” Judges will test the cars for safety. If a car does not qualify, the team must fix it.
“That’s the tough part. Some teams don’t qualify,” Ulland said.
Though they compete, the teams help each other by sharing tools. The challenge starts Thursday. Scrutineering ends Saturday. Qualified teams will race from Sunday to Wednesday.