UM Solar - ASC - Day 2

Day 2 is in the record books and while the result remains the same:

Checkpoint Arrival Times at Mansfield, OH
 

1. Michigan 2:20pm
2. Minnesota 4:01pm
3. Principia 4:38pm
4. CalSol 4:47pm

However, the route took some twists and turns:

Ethan Lardner:

Michigan got penalized 5 minutes for a non-affiliated "media" car "obstructing" traffic near Iowa State yesterday...so how are people supposed to watch the race?

Steven Hechtman confirms:

First stage times are up. Michigan leads Iowa by 9 minutes after receiving 5 minutes in penalties. Minnesota is 10 minutes behind Iowa (State).

The weather in Ohio The Worst State Ever was not cooperating:

Racing in the rain. Here's where the Weather and Strategy teams earn their stripes. Weather will keep Strategy apprised of the current and approaching weather conditions. Strategy will determine how much electricity is in the batteries, how much electricity the solar cells are producing and how much electricity the motor is using. They adjust Quantum's speed accordingly so the car has the ability to continue on to the end of day control stop. It's tricky, involves lots of calculations and sometimes some luck. It's no secret these guys are good and the results speak for themselves.

Drama!

Ethan Lardner:

Rumor has it Iowa state blew suspension in a curb and was pulled over for an hour and MIT spun out and hit a sign pole and will be trailering to Ann Arbor. Not sure if they will be making an attempt at repairs.

Steven Hechtman confirms:

Noticed on the live chat that Iowa State tracker was stationary for nearly an hour turning onto 11 near Ashtabula, OH. The explanation: @Team_PrISUm: Took a turn too wide on the interstate on ramp and hit a curb. This snapped the lower A-Arm which was replaced in under an hour.

What a shame for both Iowa State and MIT.

Quantum approaching Mansfield Ohio, in the sunshine, and the end of Day 2:

Charging batteries in Mansfield.

Video courtesy of Furqan Nazeeri

EDIT:

Please take NOTE:

From The University of Michigan Solar Car Team:

There have been some questions about the penalty we received yesterday. The penalty was a result of a Michigan fan that drove to close to one of the solar car caravans and therefore impeded traffic. Please do not follow solar car caravans with your cars, because it may result in a penalty for our team and it is not safe. If you are interested in taking photos of the solar car, please park and watch the cars as they go by. This is especially important as we will be coming into Ann Arbor tomorrow and there will likely be lots of traffic and fans. We hope to see you in Ann Arbor. Go Blue!