Sunrunner : the engineering report

Abstract In November 1987, the first World Solar Challenge took place, a 3000 km (1860 miles) transcontinental solar powered vehicle race from Darwin to Adelaide across the Australian Outback. The race, held every three years, featured entries from various countries, including Switzerland, Japan, Australia, and the United States. The winning car, General Motors' Sunraycer, finished 970 km (600 miles) in front of its nearest competitor. Based on this outstanding performance, General Motors decided not to return to Australia in 1990, but to instead sponsor a solar car race of its own and send the top three finishers to the international competition. GM Sunrayce USA featured 32 cars from top engineering colleges throughout North America and took place from Florida to Michigan, covering 2660 km (1650 miles) during July 1990.