After a great morning charge, Infinium rolled out of the Topeka stage stop at 9AM.  Minnesota left the stop at 9:01AM.  We are expecting good competition from them this morning.  With clear skies and some faster roads ahead, both teams should make excellent time to Jefferson City.

Keep following the chat for more frequent updates!

Starting Line: Infinium lined up ~10 min. before the start of the second stage.

Infinium Rolling: Infinium half a minute after leaving the Topeka stage stop.

Late this morning, Infinium was the first car to reach the Topeka stage stop.  The team narrowly missed a large and powerful storm, but some of the residual water on the road splashed inside the car and caused a lighting board to short circuit.  This repair cost the team some time, but Infinium still pulled into the checkpoint about 25 minutes ahead of Minnesota. 

Since then, Bochum, Calgary, and Missouri S&T have all reached the checkpoint.  The team has already met with several visitors interested in the race and solar technology; it’s great to see so much excitement.

Tonight we will be allowed to charge the battery from 6-8PM before camping in the Base-X tent.

Rolling In: Infinium reached Topeka 25 minutes before the second place team.

Stage Stop Charging: Infinium charged for 30 minutes after reaching Topeka, the first stage stop.

The race crew awoke this morning relaxed and refreshed.  Team members worked hard to secure a good morning charge, so Infinium could sprint the 100 remaining miles to Topeka.

Infinium is currently on the road and expected to reach Topeka before Noon.  The team has confirmed Bochum is 20 miles behind Infinium, but not sure on race time.

Look for more pictures and official updates once we reach the stage stop.

Sunrise: Luckily the clouds cleared before we began charging.

Morning Charge: Infinium charged this morning in a farmer’s front lawn next to our campsite.

Infinium ended the race day about 100 miles short of Topeka.  Our team cruised smoothly throughout the day which created a small gap between Infinium and its competitors.  We know Bochum is about 20 miles behind and Minnesota is just behind Bochum.

The team was lucky enough to camp at the Coble family’s house.  Their large property allowed the team plenty of room for a evening charge.  

We even found a new fan!

The team should reach Topeka tomorrow morning.  Look for lots of pictures.

Michigan reached Neosho at 2:38 and increased the lead beween first and second over the first leg.  Bochum pulled in second, followed shortly by Minnesota, both of whom had minor repairs along the route.

Infinium driving to Neosho

After charging for 30 minutes of the 1 hour control stop, Infinium is back on the road.  The team will not be able to reach the stage stop in Topeka this evening, so the team will be camping out tonight.

Teams charge in Neosho

After observing the stage stop in in Topeka, Infinium left this morning heading towards Jefferson City, Missouri.  We are expecting good weather, but the speed limits on this part of the route are very low.  The combination of slow speeds and a 2 hour control stop will make it very difficult to reach Rolla today.

Our team spent the day in Topeka observing the mandatory stage stop. Normally on these days we would only be allowed to charge from 7AM-9AM and 6PM -8PM, but we made good use of our afternoon. Mechanical engineers went over bolt checks and improved our tire changing procedures.

Mechanical engineers check Infinium’s front suspension

Electrical engineers were also busy today rewiring part of the car to optimize how Infinium’s rear wheel (containing the motor) could be change if it were punctured. 

Tomorrow Infinium will be back on the road heading towards Jefferson City.  We will observe the 2 hour control stop before heading to the stage stop in Rolla.  Rolla, MO also happens to be the home of the Missouri S&T Solar Car Team.  Hopefully we will be able to find some time tomorrow evening to meet their team.

After leaving Neosho this morning our team was able to find a small pocket of cloudless sky that followed us all the way to Topeka. It was truly lucky since the sky to our North, East and West was dark and storm. Along the way an operations member was able to get rooms at the Ramada Topeka Kansas sponsored.  Tomorrow we will be observing the stage stop to practice our morning and evening procedures, along with some other mechanical and electrical tests. 

Infinium cruised with no problems from Tulsa to Neosho arriving much earlier than predicted.  

Team members lift the array while others make modification in Neosho

After observing the 1 hour control stop, Infinium is now back on the road heading towards Topeka.  We are expecting some storms later this afternoon, but we expect to reach Topeka before the end of timing.