6-29-99

Contacts:
Allen Ihlefeld, Team PrISUm, (515) 231-0363
Skip Derra, News Service, (515) 294-4917

ISU SOLAR CAR FINISHES IN 5TH PLACE IN SUNRAYCE 99

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State's PrISUm Phoenix solar car completed the final leg of Sunrayce 99, an 82-mile route from Ocala to Orlando, Fla., in 3 hours, 32 minutes and 38 seconds (3:32:38) for an average speed of 23.20 mph. Iowa State was the 16th car to cross the finish line at the EPCOT Center today.

Unofficial final standings have Iowa State fifth overall for Sunrayce 99.

The University of Missouri-Rolla is the winner of Sunrayce 99. Unofficially, they completed the 1,424-mile Washington, D.C., to Orlando, Fla., route in 56:11:44 for an average speed of 25.34 mph. Queen's University came in second overall with a time of 57:04:02 (24.95 mph). In third place was Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a time of 64:08:10 (22.20 mph). The University of Minnesota was fourth, with a time of 64:36:43 (22.04 mph), and Iowa State completed Sunrayce 99 in 65:28:13 (21.75 mph).

Finishing in the top five is the highest Iowa State has ever placed in a Sunrayce event, eclipsing a 10th place finish in 1993. Iowa State has competed in all five Sunrayce events, dating back to 1990.

Today's leg of Sunrayce was again marked by overcast skies, rain and even some sunshine. Iowa State began the day in 5th place overall.

"The advantage of our car is its aerodynamics, and to take advantage of that we needed to have plenty of sunshine to operate at higher speeds," said Allen Ihlefeld, director of Team PrISUm. "Coming in fifth place with almost no sun is awesome."

"Finishing in the top five is the direct result of the abilities of our team," Ihlefeld added. "Everyone fit in their role and we all pulled together to make this the best finish of any Iowa State solar car team."

Team PrISUm members will remain in Orlando through Wednesday to take part in an official Sunrayce event at the EPCOT Center before heading back to Ames.

Sunrayce 99 coincides with the week of the summer solstice. The 1,424-mile race began June 20 in Washington, D.C., and ended today (June 29) in Orlando, Fla.

Sunrayce is an ongoing educational program that culminates in a biennial cross-country race of solar-powered cars. The program is open to colleges, universities, trade schools and other post-secondary educational institutions.

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Official race standings and times can be obtained by accessing the Sunrayce Web site.

Team PrISUm's Web site includes images and updates on the team's performance.

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Revised 06/27/99