The Flap of a Butterfly's Wings Ain't Got Nothin' on the Shadow of an Ex-Mayor's Sister

Let the record show that Genius's solar car team finished 4TH out of the 20 teams who participated in the American Solar Challenge! Plus, they won the Array Award and the Electrical Award.

Missouri S&T completed all but 20 of the 1,975 miles under solar power. The sun conspired against all the teams for the final two days, making the uphill climb to the finish line a test of rays. Genius and team squeezed the last scrap of stored power from their battery, and could not generate more with no sun. They had to trailer the car to the finish line. As did all but 3 teams that day.

Scroll down here for a chart showing the final results, and leaders from different stages of the road race. Missouri S&T was one of only 13 teams who made it to the road portion of the race. Not too shabby, after qualifying at the last minute on the track, with 195 laps in two days, and 192 being the criteria to qualify. They started in pole position 11 on the first day of the road race, with only the two teams granted provisional racing status behind them.

Thanks to Tony Dekker at Scientific Gems for covering the race. He provided updates several times a day, and a summary here.

The race passed through Backroads on the 2nd day. Genius's team camped out in our field, and one of the other teams set up shop in town, on a vacant lot between the bank and the Burger King, just down the road from Taco Bell. A vacant lot most often used to hawk knockoff back-to-school shoes, and counterfeit purses. It's right there across from Walmart. So the whole world passes by. My sister the ex-mayor's wife sent me a text.

"The ex-mayor's sister stopped in town last night and talked to the Principia car that was stopped somewhere by the bank by Taco Bell. She said that it was after 7:00, and they were charging their car. THEN, she said she jokingly moved in front of their solar panels and said, 'Look, we can affect their charging (or something to that affect) anyway she said one of the guys very seriously said, 'Ma'am, could you please step aside!!' What was she thinking!!!!"

"NO! That's the first thing they said when I drove to town to see Genius's car where it was charging on the parking lot where Hick is getting the job delivering drugs from the unmarked pharmacy. I walked up to see it, and told The Pony, 'Stay back. I don't think they want us in front.' Right then a dude said, 'Don't shade the panel, we're charging!'"

Let the record show that the day was cloudy, and very little sun was coming through. The cars all had to do their charging between 6:00 and 8:00 each morning and evening. And that The Pony and I at no time passed in front of the solar panels. Unlike the ex-mayor's sister.

Further let the record show that the Principia team is the one who Genius's team edged out for 4th Place. By a slim margin of 18 minutes over the 1,975 mile, 8-day race.

Perhaps the ex-mayor's sister affected the race results more than she will ever know.