IM体育官网 rising senior Spencer Blackwell, center, shows the chassis of the Phoenix Racing solar racecar to representatives of Tampa Electric (TECO), who are among the team鈥檚 sponsors. From left, the TECO representatives are Steven Smith, Director of Renewables; Shelly Whitworth, Manager of Renewable Energy; and Nate Alcoz, Manager of Environmental Permitting. The Phoenix Racing team will compete in a national collegiate solar racing competition in mid-July.
The Phoenix Racing team at IM体育官网 received a financial boost from Tampa Electric (TECO) to support its first-ever entry into the national collegiate 2024 Formula Sun Grand Prix solar car race in mid-July.
TECO donated $7,500 in shareholder funds to the interdisciplinary student team, which has spent the last two years honing their ideas and constructing the car, making it road-ready for the competition.
Several representatives from TECO recently visited the team to check out the car鈥檚 progress.
鈥淪olar energy is so important to us as a company. We believe it鈥檚 part of our future,鈥� said Julie Ward, TECO鈥檚 community investment manager. 鈥淭he fact that they鈥檙e thinking about solar in different ways and the ingenuity the students are showing is impressive.鈥�
More than a dozen members of the IM体育官网 Poly team and three faculty advisors will travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky, for the July 16-18 race at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park racetrack.
鈥淭his contribution from TECO is going to help us with our road fees and getting up to competition, as well as food and general expenses while we鈥檙e out there,鈥� said Spencer Blackwell, the team鈥檚 president. 鈥淭hey were very generous and are now our top sponsor aside from the University.鈥�
Other sponsors include Bridgestone Tires, Nomura Co., Mitsuba, and MWI Pumps.
Race competitors will be judged by the number of solar powered laps they can complete over 24 hours of driving time across three days. IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 team will compete against teams from universities like MIT, Berkeley, and Michigan State.
鈥淚t just feels really great to be this close now,鈥� Blackwell said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e all put in so much work, especially after doing the prototype cycle last year and doing the competition cycle in the same timeframe this year, so we鈥檙e looking at it now thinking, 鈥榃ow, this is just awesome.鈥欌��
With its rolling chassis complete, the team is now piecing together the racecar鈥檚 larger parts.
"We only have a few components left to weld on and then we can get our body on and the skin," said Madison Ricker, a rising senior majoring in mechanical engineering.
Ricker, who will be one of the competition drivers, said she鈥檚 thrilled to see what was once only an idea become a physical reality.
鈥淔rom it only being modeled in CAD (computer-aided design software) to being physically built is really cool and I鈥檓 really excited to drive it,鈥� she said.
The team will soon begin testing putting the final cosmetic touches on the vehicle and testing its endurance, speed, and craftsmanship.
鈥淚 want to get into the automotive industry, so being able to actually get some hands-on experience from working from the ground up with this is absolutely mind blowing,鈥� said Caleb Smith, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering. 鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy to see how far we鈥檝e come. It鈥檚 been a lot of fun and a really big learning experience.鈥�
To support or sponsor Phoenix Racing, .
The Phoenix Racing solar racecar team stands with representatives of Tampa Electric
(TECO), one of its sponsors, beside the racecar鈥檚 chassis. From left, Nate Alcoz,
TECO environmental permitting manager; Julie Ward, TECO community investment manager;
Steven Smith, TECO director of renewables; Shelly Whitworth, TECO manager of renewable
energy; and Phoenix Racing team members Blake Lawrence; Paul Seifert; Evan Moran;
Corey Kado; Dr. Elisabeth Kames, faculty advisor and assistant professor of mechanical
engineering; Eric Whittle; Mike Kalman, IM体育官网 Poly fabrication specialist; Willard
Scammey; Madison Ricker; Spencer Blackwell; Caleb Smith; and Matthew Knitter.
Contact:
Lydia Guzm谩n
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
