Formula Sun Grand Prix 2019 — Day -1 (June 29)
I’m back. You’re back (if anyone reads this, hi teammates back home). We’re all back for another set of ramblings from yours truly about solar car races, Midnight Sun, and various mishaps and issues that solar car teams run into when competition happens. I’ll be honest, I originally did not intend for people to find out about this blog from the team, but someone uncovered it and now everyone seems to know about it but I’m going to keep writing the way I usually do and say everything anyways.
In classic Midnight Sun fashion, we were late leaving. I have to admit over the past three competitions there’s this upward trend of number of items being packed the night before as intended. But the first year it was zero, so even sticking a pylon in a car was an upward trend so maybe this isn’t saying much.
In all honesty, we did have a majority of the gear packed the night before, which I was super happy about. We were also able to install the raised platform in the trailer so we got all the storage space underneath the car. The incident last week involving another team, the SDC 24-foot and an 18-wheeler turned out to work in our favour and allowed us to drill the platform down as well as another table, so it really did help us.
The first leg of the trip actually went without a problem. Mostly. We made it to Windsor in pretty good time and crossed the Ambassador bridge, where we saw the trailer demolish a couple pylons under its left wheels before getting to the border and being questioned why the RAV4 was a commercial vehicle. There was some confusing conversation about a temporary import bond, but we were allowed through and rendezvoused with the team at McDonalds nearby. We ended up having to call customs to ask about why the trailer wasn’t pulled over to the side to sign the temporary import bond, but turns out it was done automatically. Technology these days, kids won’t know the hardships of having to walk into an office to hand paperwork over to a customs officer for them to sign off on. This also makes me realize I’m one of the oldest on this trip and it’s my third solar car competition. Damn I’m old.
The McDonald’s stop was very welcome. I ended up buying almost exclusively from the dollar menu (holy it was cheap) and ate well for $4. Good thing I did because I wasn’t going to be eating for a while afterwards. Our team ended up splitting after the McDonald’s, with the two personnel vehicles going on ahead and the RAV4 staying with the pickup truck and trailer. Mostly because the only other person authorized to drive the RAV4 wanted to be in the truck for a while so if I needed to swap out we had to be nearby so he could switch back in. I then proceeded to drive a personal record of five hours straight, possibly longer I’m not entirely sure, from the Detroit area down to Dayton, Ohio.
Most of this record I have to attribute to the people in the car keeping me talking and awake, but I was pretty impressed with myself I won’t lie. Unfortunately, we kept pushing back when we were going to stop, first by an hour and then two. I’d had to go to the bathroom since maybe half an hour after we left the McDonalds, but I wasn’t about to stop two vehicles just because of me so I ended up being uncomfortable for a while until we finally swapped drivers at a rest stop. The drive was really nice though, decent scenery and a solid view of the back of the trailer for a few hundred miles.
For dinner, the truck, trailer and RAV decided to go to Royal’s Hot Chicken in Louisville. Our lead was an hour and a half ahead of us so he subtly told us to get moving and we couldn’t sit for dinner. We figured at this point we needed to take out so we parked our vehicles a block away and walked over only to find a huge line that would definitely take more than an hour to get through. Kevin’s disappointment was immeasurable as we made the call to go with Plan B and pick up fast food along the highway again.
“My day is ruined and my disappointment is immeasurable” -Kevin
Plan B ended up being Arby’s, rushed and taken out because our vehicles were behind enough as it was. I think a vehicle got to the hotel by then, about two and a half hours ahead of us at this time. I can’t really tell you what happened next since I passed out for the entire drive to the hotel from Arby’s. This was intended though since I’m going to be driving the first leg in the morning when we leave at 6:30. We got in around 12:30am, 11:30 central time so it looked a bit better on my phone when I woke up, but my body was stretched in ways it should not have been from trying to sleep in weird positions in the RAV. I was quite sore.
At the motel we found out that Expedia had messed up our booking with the Travelodge and that we only had three rooms. A few of our guys were inside talking to Expedia and then talked with the hotel guy and finally got us a fourth room. Thank god we didn’t have to test how many guys we could fit onto a bed.
Also, something seems to happen shower related every year. Last year I had problems figuring out the shower on travel day 1, this time I was taller than the shower head? Very new experience for me and kind of awkward having to crouch down to wash my hair. One-time problem anyways I doubt I’ll ever have that problem again.
Now we just have to wake up in five hours to drive to Austin. Easy. See you all tomorrow.
Flag count: 236.5 (American flags spotted on trip)
