ADELAIDE, Australia – The University of Michigan solar car team finished 7th in the World Solar Challenge after losing 10 racing hours to a race accident.
Just seven kilometers into the Challenge, the U-M lead vehicle was cut off by the Stanford Solar Car Team and forced to break quickly. The U-M solar car, Continuum, rear ended the U-M?s lead vehicle and was forced to return to the pits for repairs. Continuum got back on road and passed more than 25 other teams on the way to the finish line.
?We’ve always been looking for a different finish than what we ended up with, but we are ultimately very happy with how Continuum performed,? the U-M Solar Team said in a statement. ?To us, the first half of the race demonstrates that we are the best Team in the world while the second half demonstrates that we have the best car in the world.
?A first place victory almost comes as an empty victory because it doesn’t demonstrate how good the Team really is. Having rallied around the crash we were able to show the world how well we face adversity and how well prepared the Team was. As we crossed the finish line there were 25 friends and family members that had made the trip to Australia to watch the race and cheer us on. We were all happy that we could make them proud by completing this race the way that we did.?
The team plans to participate in the North American Solar Challenge with the help of sponsors that include: The U-M, The U-M College of Engineering, BHP Billiton, Ford, and General Motors.
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