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by Jed Christiansen, Project Manager
The entire Race Crew from Sunrayce 97 would like to send our thanks to the Alumni Club of Kansas City. Day four of Sunrayce 97 ended in Kansas City and was followed by the race’s rest day. John Jenks and other Kansas City Alumni Club members met us at the end of that day and
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served us absolutely delicious steak dinners.
From the perspective of a race crew member, that dinner really helped lift our spirits. We had just been through four days of tough competition and everyone was looking forward to the rest day ahead of us. It was then that we were met by Kansas City’s University of Michigan alumni club with wonderful dinners and that
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great Michigan enthusiasm and pride. They really helped the team relax and get motivated for the rest of the race.
So once again, thank you to the Kansas City Alumni Club. Your generous dinners and company were sincerely appreciated by all of us.
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What about Wolverine?
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Some people wonder what we did with our last car, Wolverine, since Sunrayce 97. Below is a list of some of the events where Wolverine has appeared.
ECOFEST Parade - New York, New York
Huron High School - Ann Arbor, MI
Detroit Edison Commercial Shoot - Detroit, MI
Look out for more information concerning where Wolverine will be in the next Solar Express.
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Team Reports
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from the MaizeBlaze Team Leaders
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Mechanical Design Team Up and Running
By Rick Bodey
The Mechanical Design Team for MaizeBlaze, the University of Michigan Solar Car slated to enter Sunrayce 99 and World Solar Challenge '99, is off to a great start. The team is responsible for the design and implementation of the mechanical systems for MaizeBlaze, including the chassis, front and rear suspension, brakes and
steering. As always, the challenge facing the Mechanical team is to work within space and weight limitations without sacrificing structural integrity and performance.
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The team has already risen to the challenge once, designing a front suspension for the 1997 vehicle, Wolverine, that fit in an area greatly reduced from that of its predecessor, Solar Vision. Other challenges, such as designing a steering system that forgoes the use of a steering wheel, are also being surmounted. The addition of
dedicated, hardworking new team members is helping to ensure that MaizeBlaze will be a top contender for 1st place in Sunrayce 1999.
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