Sunseeker in New Mexico, still in fifth place
July 18, 2003
KALAMAZOO -- Western Michigan University's Sunseeker solar racecar closed day five of the 2,300-mile American Solar Challenge still in fifth place, with fewer than 1,000 miles still to go.
The team stopped for the night in Moriarity, N.M., after completing nearly 1,400 miles of the cross country race. ASC official standings show the WMU team in fifth place after the Tucumcari, N.M., checkpoint, which marked completion of 1,252 miles of the race route. The WMU team is just over two minutes behind the University of Missouri-Columbia, the team now in fourth place.
The team from the University of Missouri-Rolla remains in first place, while the University of Minnesota is in second place, and yesterday's fourth-place team, Principia, has moved into third place. Those three teams made it to the Albuquerque, N.M., checkpoint by the close of Thursday, July 17, and have now completed 1,420 miles of racing.
Since the Sunseeker's Thursday overnight stop in Moriarity is less than 50 miles from the mandatory stop at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, the team should have a light day of racing ahead on Friday. The race leaders will stay in Albuquerque, awaiting the arrival of the rest of the 20-car field, before the race restarts at 9 a.m. Sunday, July 20. That day, the competitors will leave Albuquerque at one-minute intervals, based on their standings, and head for Gallup, N.M., then continue into Arizona.
To follow the July 13-23 race as it unfolds, go to the ASC Web site at <www.formulasun.org/asc>. The site includes a map of the route with information about stops and the location of the race leader. A daily update link carries information about the last know location of each team and discloses current standings, miles completed and time elapsed.
Media contact: Cheryl Roland, 269 387-8400, cheryl.roland@wmich.edu