Navigating the 2016 Solar Car Challenge

Have a Designated Navigator A designated navigator will bring continuity to the race. With experience, the navigator learns from the route notations, and better understands their meaning having experienced them the day before.

Navigators Homework The Team Navigator (s) needs to thoroughly review the race route each night before race day. This allows the Navigator to anticipate turns, hazards, detours, construction, and road warnings.

Observe the Start Site The Navigator needs to walk the Race Start area to become familiar with turns, dips in the road, traffic signals, rough road conditions The Navigator should know the Race Start Order, and make sure the team is ready for solar car line-up.

The Value of Communications The Navigator must develop a concise set of verbal statements to inform the solar car driver about the road ahead. Make sure that only one person is giving instructions to the Driver. Multiple people can provide feedback to the Navigator, but not to the Driver.

Road Hazards The Route Booklet provides information about road condition. Pay special attention to the availability of road shoulders a mile ahead of the solar car. If you have an emergency, it is crucial to know a “safer place” to pull over.

Pay particular attention to the term “road drop-off.” (a) This means that there are no road shoulders available to pull off the road. (b) This means that if there is a solar car emergency, the driver must concentrate on keeping control of the car to avoid the drop off.

Your Race Judge Your judge is required to be sitting in the front passenger seat in the 1st Chase Car. Treat your judge with respect Designate one of the team to communicate with the judge on a regular basis! The Judge will not inform you if you go off course. The Judge will inform you if you get a penalty.

If a Judge awards a penalty to a team, the judge will notify the team immediately. The amount of penalty will be determine by a Judging Committee each evening and the team notified prior to the Drivers’ Meeting. If a team disagrees with the penalty, there is a well-developed protest procedure in the Rules The team can always ask the Judge questions, but they can not ask the Judge for advice.

Race Route Notifications The Race organizers have made a good faith effort to provide teams with a reasonable depiction of the race route. (a) Mileage is based on the official race vehicle. Your vehicle mileage may differ. (b) The race route was developed over a period of several trips. Road conditions may change due to unpredicted road construction or detours.

Teams need to develop their own maps of the race route. Teams need to anticipate upcoming hills and decide: (a) are we going to drive the hill, or (b) are we going to trailer over the hill and un-trailer the car on the other side of the hill. (c) it is all about efficiently using your energy through out the day.

The Value of Telemetry Telemetry can be in the form of verbal communications or more sophisticated systems. In any event: (a) Telemetry gives a “Strategy Team” in a chase vehicle the necessary data to make race decisions, such as speed, trailering, or charging. (b) The “Strategy Team” should relay that information to the Driver through the Navigator.

Getting Off Course If you get off course, the solar car must return to the spot where they went off course and rejoin the race. There is no credit for the miles driven off course. Remember, the Judge will not tell you if you are off course. The Navigator bears this responsibility.

Safety The Race Judge has full authority to require a team to pull over if he thinks that: (a) there is a problem with the solar car (b) road conditions are unsafe (c) the road is too “busy” for the safe driving of the solar car. (d) the driver is driving erratically or dangerously

Team Teacher The ultimate authority for the solar car, team safety, and solar car conditions rests with the team teacher. The team’s teacher has the ultimate authority to halt the team’s racing if he or she feels that conditions are not safe for his team. The team can trailer their solar car and move down the route to another location.

Driving through Cities It is our goal to show as many communities our solar cars. The SCC strongly encourages teams to drive into towns particularly if there is a display, rest stop or lunch stop. No one wants to see a solar car arrive on a trailer  Teams are always free to trailer their solar car after a rest stop or lunch stop.

Passing other Solar Car Teams Teams must use great care when passing another solar car team’s convoy. The Race Judge should radio the judge in the “to-be-passed” team and notify them of their intent to pass. The team being passed must defer and allow the faster team to pass. Teams will blink their lights to notify a team of their intent to pass.

Good Sportsmanship Teams must always demonstrate good sportsmanship. This is particularly true when solar car teams pass another team. Severe penalties will be awarded to teams that fail to display good sportsmanship, including “loss of race.”

Where should the Navigator Sit? If the Navigator sits in the Lead Car, he or she will be able to inform the driver of upcoming road conditions. If the Lead Car gets separated from the solar car, this could leave the driver “stranded.” The Lead Car may separate from the solar car; the 1st Chase Car is required to stick with the solar car no matter what!

QUESTIONS