Day Two!

Adam Chandler lifting Sundancer's array while Jacob Bridgeman secures it with the array prop.

Tyler Wilson and Cory Clark airing up the tires before the Drivers' Meeting starts.

Nick Callahan triying to catch a few more minutes of sleep before heading out to the track.

The guys posing with their judge for the day, Guntis.

Dr. Marks starting the Drivers' Meeting by doing team roll call.

The guys' first place trophy for Day One.

The girls posing with their first place trophy!

Jay Alford pulling out of Pit Row!

Sydney Harrell driving in her first race!

This morning at the daily Drivers' Meeting, Houston was awarded with two first place trophies for Sundancer and Sundancer II!! We had a slight breakdown with Sundancer but we have it back on the track and racing again! We'll be sure to keep everyone posted throughout the day!

End of the Day!

Our team showing their "skills" by converting an equipment table to the dinner table!

Adam Chandler and Hunter Powell angling the array so Sundancer can get the most sun!

Sundancer II posing under the Texas Motor Speedway Sign!

Hunter Powell raising the car to help angle it towards the sun!

After three hours of racing, our car is off the track and charging for tomorrow! Both Sundancer and Sundancer II are unofficially in first place in their divisions, and we will find out who officially won the first day in the morning!

Race Time!!

Nick Callahan and Dustin Pounds going over strategies with BB Turman while Adam Chandler checks the tires!

Sundancer and Sundancer II lining up to start the race!

The guys adding a few last minute touches to Sundancer before putting it on the track!

Sundancer leaving Pit Row about to start its first lap of the race!!

Sundancer and Sundancer II have both started racing and are still going strong despite the cloudy skies!! We will only be racing for three hours today, but we'll race from eight to five for the rest of the week! Our team is so excited to have finally started the race and hope all of our hard work and training will pay off!

Getting Ready to Start the Day!!

After we arrived at the speedway, the team started unloading the trailer and setting up our work area!

Communications manager, Trey Franklin, getting our battery box in order for the race.

Daniel Worthey and Jay Alford showing off their handy man skills and building a table for some of the tools!

The guys arranging some of their equipment on our newly built table!

At two o'clock this afternoon our team will finally start racing!! We will spend the first half of the day finishing scrutineering and then Sundancer and Sundancer II will hit the track. Our cars have already made the move from the hotel to the Speedway, and we have spent the first part of the morning setting up our work areas in the garage. We will keep everyone posted on the progress of the race and will be updating the blog several times a day.

Scrutineering and Opening Banquet!

Laura Brandon Parker qualifying to drive!

The guys at Station One: General Scrutineering which is where the judges make sure the teams build their cars according to the rules!

The guys lifting Sundancer during the Tilt and Turn test to prove the car can withstand forces put on it!

The Houston Lady Racers proving that not only the guys can lift a solar car!

Hillary Colbert preparing to start the Breaking Test!

The guys completing the Slalom Course which determines if you can drive in the race!

The girls starting the Electrical Station!

I think the guys thought we were tailgating instead of going through scrutineering!

This morning, our team woke up bright and early to make sure our cars were ready to start the first day of scrutinnering! (a series of tests our cars must pass before being able to compete) Sundancer and Sundancer II have passed all of the stations for today and will only have to complete two tomorrow morning. We will also start racing tomorrow afternoon!! After scrutineering ended, all of the teams gathered for the Opening Banquet to celebrate the start of the race and to help the teams get to know each other! We would again like to thank everyone who got us to this point, without your support we would have never made it this far!!

Check In!

The Houston Lady Racers making sure that everything is in our Tape and Array box!

The guys organizing their toolboxes and loading them onto the trailer to be taken to the speedway!

Catherine Marsh taping the Pit Crew list to our Pit Crew toolbox!

Dr. Marks leading the Driver's Meeting which is where the judges and other staff welcome the teams and go over the various rules at the track!

Our team posing with Mike Gill and his wife!

Even though Mr. Reese was the one who got pied in the face, it seems like Jay Alford was the unlucky one!

This afternoon, our team officially checked in to the race and attended the drivers meeting! After the meeting we organized our tools and other things we will need at the speedway in preparation for scrutineering which will start tomorrow. When we were through, our team went to dinner with Mrs. Gill's son Mike Gill and his wife, who we would like to thank for buying every one's meal!! We are getting even more excited about starting the race and promise to do the best we can!

Six Flags!

Yesterday, July 15 our team took a trip to Six Flags in Arlington, Texas! We enjoyed taking a break from working but unfortunately we couldn't take a break from the Texas sun! While at the park, the Dallas Cowboy's Cheerleaders made an appearance during one of the shows (which was greatly enjoyed by all the guys on our team!)

Finally in Dallas!!

The moral of this story is never fall asleep around Sydney if you have a doughnut in your hand, you WILL lose the doughnut!!

Dustin Pounds doing his "tough" pose for the camera!

While at the race, we always follow the time honored tradition of dumping ice water on unsuspecting new members who think they are just taking a team picture!!

Nick Callahan and Adam Chandler airing up the spare tires!

Hillary Colbert checking the welds on Sundancer II to make sure they didn't break on the journey!

Dustin Pounds, Tyler Wilson, and Jacob Bridgeman bringing Sundancer back to the tents after it morning run!

The guys staking our their territory and setting up their work area!

Nick Callahan, Clay McNutt, and Adam Chandler airing up Sundancer's tires

The girls unloading Sundancer II!

Trey Franklin checking off an item on the to do list

The girls getting Sundancer II picture ready!

After a little bus trouble and an eleven hour drive, the Houston Solar Race team has finally made it to Dallas,Texas!! Scrutineering will start Sunday, so our team rose bright and early to make sure Sundancer and Sundancer II are still working properly after their trip. Although we work the majority of the time in Dallas, we also take a little time off to play. Our team is going to visit the famous Stockyard District this afternoon and later tonight we are going to Six Flags! We can't wait to start racing and would like to thank all of the parents and everyone who helped get us here and for always believing in us!! Sorry we don't have any new pictures posted, we are having slight difficulties with the Internet but we will have them on here as soon as possible!

Getting Ready for Texas!

Hunter Powell putting a radio in the car so the driver can communicate with the rest of the team

Sundancer taking a drive through downtown Houston!

Sundancer starting its training run!

With the race only a couple of weeks away, we have been testing both Sundancer and Sundancer II to make sure they are ready to compete! We have mainly been training in Houston getting our new members ready for their first race. Our team can't wait to go to Texas, even though a few of us aren't excited about the ten hour bus drive there!!

Catherine Marsh

Suzy Reese

Dustin Pounds

Students taking a vocational class must take the C-Pass test, a standardized state test given during the students' second year of the course. Solar Car members Catherine Marsh, Suzy Reese, and Dustin Pounds made the top three scores on the Electricity test with all three scoring advanced! On May 19, they were recognized for their achievements and presented a metal on Awards Night!