We've cleaned and got everything ready for training and the race.

We started training for the race in Australia and getting our drivers prepared and ready. Before the drivers are allowed to drive in the race in Australia they must have a total of 12 hours.

     This is some more of our training. Some of our guys were securing the window for our                                                                   driver.

This is a different type of training in which we watch past teams compete to try and get an idea of how the race will actually be in Australia. 

The registration to compete in Australia is underway!

 

Preparing for flats in Australia caused by Three Eyed Jacks (a pesky outback thorn)

 

Our car had the opportunity to participate in the Flywheel Festival car show

 

Many thanks to Mr. Toy Coleman for his continued support!

 

James is trying to bring back the Houston Lady Racers!

Our team met with the Exchange Club to share our goals for Australia.  Many thanks to Tom Byrne for the invitation!

 

The school year might be winding down, but we are still training with Sundancer to compete in the World Solar Challenge this fall!  To get ready for the race, we are prepping not only our car but also our team to ensure we are in tip top condition by the time we arrive in Australia.  We are counting down the months until October and cannot wait to leave, even though a few of us are not looking forward to the heat of the outback!

The Past Couple of Months

The Sundancer team has been busy the past couple of months. We have located the batteries we plan to use  for the World Solar Challenge.  They will improve our car tremendously. We have also officially registered

for the race. We are working on the assigned paperwork that is due on certain dates. We are continuing to raise funds for the race and working with people in our community to make everything happen. We are eager to continue our journey on this amazing goal we have set for ourselves of being the FIRST high school team to complete the World Solar Challenge in Australia!!!  

    Cody, Zack, Malik, Jackson, James, Allyson, Hunter, Greg, Matthew, Hunter, Hayden, Summer, & Ajay 

Christmas Parade

 

We were honored to be the Grand Marshal of the Christmas Parade.

Preparation and waiting for the parade to begin 

 

The new sign for the Veterans for their dedication and support over the years.

The Beginning of the Parade.

The Veterans in their float/ buggy for the Christmas Parade.

We were honored to be the Grand Marshall of the Houston Christmas Parade. Before the parade we presented the Veterans with our new banner to honor them and our Veterans and hometown were the first people to see the new banner.

Solar Farm

Wednesday November 19, we were honored to be invited to the opening ceremony of the Solar Farm that will be located in Okolona, MS.

Mr. Jeff Lee with Phoenix Solar is speaking about the new solar facility that his crew is working to complete. 

Columbus Veterans Day Parade

Saturday November the 8th we had the privilege of being in the Columbus Veterans Parade. 

The team enjoyed their time visiting with the Veterans and the people of Columbus.

  

The Houston Solar Race Team would like to thank the Veterans for their contribution to America that give us the freedoms we have today. We would also like to thank the veterans of Columbus VFW for the generous donations that they have made this year and last year to the Houston Solar Race Team. Thank You Veterans from Columbus VFW Post number 4272 and Mr. Frank Pemper for all you have done for us!

  

Columbus VFW

On Monday, October 27, Commander Doug Lee and members of the Columbus VFW Post #4272 came to our school and presented us with a check. They donated money to us last year and will continue to do so over the next year towards our Australian adventure in October 2015. We would like to thank them from the bottom of our hearts for investing and believing in us. They made a big dent in the money we will need to fund our race in the World Solar Car Challenge.  We would also like to thank Mr. Frank Pemper, who is also a veteran from our community who has supported us through the years. He has a major role on our team and does not even know it. Once again, thank you to the Columbus VFW Post #4272 and also Mr. Frank!

Courtesy of Chickasaw Journal                                 

Sundancer accepting a very generous donation from the Columbus VFW Post #4272 of $2,000 dollars. 

We want to say a special thanks to the Columbus VFW and to Mr. Frank Pemper for being apart of this program and helping us get where we are today!

Sundancer's Past Events

The team has been very busy over the past couple of months with many events. We would like to thank everyone for inviting us to visit them.  We are appreciative of everyone who is supporting us in our big decision to race in the World Solar Car Challenge across the continent of Australia in October 2015. Our goal is to be the first-ever high school to complete the race.



Our town had a car show on the square and we were invited to attend. It was great to talk with people who knew a lot about fixing cars. They gave us some good advice on how to better secure our car during travel.

It's football season and that means it's also homecoming. We were proud to participate  in our  school's parade.  We got to introduce the 2014-2015 Houston Solar Race Team to our community. 

Jan Schaffer from the Mississippi Attorney General's office came to see exactly how the car worked.  She was eager to drive it!

 In the beginning of October,  we attended the Mississippi Energy Day Fair in Jackson and talked to students from across Mississippi about how our car works.  They asked us very interesting questions that only young children with creative imaginations could come up with. 

Our trip to the Amory Rotary Club. We would like to thank them for the invitation and opportunity to share our race experience and our future plans for Australia. We had a blast meeting with them! Their facility was first class! 

We were honored to have the two women from Mississippi Herd come to our school and to look at our car .  We love what you guys are doing with connecting the Russia culture and the Mississippi culture.

Our team was invited to speak to the Grenada Rotary Club about our future plans. Ms. Donna Echols, from the Clarion Ledger, came to see the Sundancer and to meet and interview the team members. We would like to thank everyone for their interest in our team.

The team members took turns explaining a PowerPoint presentation to the Grenada Rotary Club. 

Ms. Donna Echols is taking notes for a Clarion Ledger article on the team. Everyone, be looking for her article to appear online, and later in the paper. We appreciate her taking time to travel from Jackson to Grenada to meet us.

The Rotary Club plays a game that Mr. Reese learned in Australia.  

The club members proved to good sports and lots of fun!

 After the presentation the members wanted to see the Sundancer. Veteran member, Zack Mixon is explaining how the car works while two of our new members look on.

 

Mrs. Donna Echols not only got to see the Sundancer, she jumped at the chance to drive Sundancer.  We may add her to our list of drivers. 

Day 4 of racing

On the last day of racing we started at Baylor University and headed toward Austin. Zack Mixon started the day driving and did a great job. We got to our lunch stop so early that we had to wait for restaurants to open so we could have a lunch. We made it to the finish line at Samsung Semiconductors and were greeted by tons of curious employees. We then trailered the car to the impound lot at J.J Pickle Research center at the University of Texas.

Day 3: Fort Worth, Texas to Waco, Texas (155.6 driving miles available)

Day Rank	Overall Rank	Team	Miles Driven	Penalty Miles	Day Miles	Total Miles
CLASSIC DIVISION
1	1	Byron Nelson Bobcats Solar Racing Team	148.7	4.0	144.7	435.7
2	5	Greenville High School Solar Car Team	109.3	0	109.3	287.8
3	2	All Saints Episcopal School Solar Team	98.0	0	98.0	350.0
4	4	Devon Prep Solar Car Team	94.4	0	94.4	307.4
5	3	Ben Barber Solar Car Racing Team	75.5	1.5	74.0	317.0
6	9	Wylie East High School Solar Race Team	39.2	0	39.2	133.7
7	6	Coppell Solar Racing Team	22.9	0	22.9	183.4
8	7	Madison Solar Car Initiative	13.6	1.5	12.1	178.6
9	8	Grosse Pointe South Solar Car Team	6.2	0	6.2	159.2
10	11	Piney Woods Raycers	4.2	0	4.2	16.2
11	10	Stony Point High School Solar Car Team	0.0	3.0	-3.0	112.5
OPEN DIVISION
1	1	Houston Solar Race Team	155.6	0	155.6	582.1
2	2	Walnut Solar Car Team	87.6	2.5	85.1	424.1
3	3	Liberty Christian Solar Car Team	76.5	1.5	75.0	298.5
ADVANCED DIVISION
1	1	CCHS Solar Car Project	119.5	1.5	118.0	418.0
2	2	Tottenville HS Solar Pirates	98.1 (6:39)	0	98.1	282.6
3	3	SPHS Solar Knights Racing	98.1 (7:02)	0	98.1	282.6

Results for Day 3 of Racing.

Jackson, Greg, Hayden, and Malik accepting the trophy for Day 3 of Racing from Dr. Marks

Our boys prsenting Liberty Christan a trophy for their hard work and determination. This was their first year to compete in open instead of classic division, and they adapted well.

At our lunch stop.

Everyone after the race all overjoyed about our win.

Sundancer coming through the finish line.

The hospitality shown to us by the staff of Samsung Semiconductors is commendable.