SunStang summary from Australia

Not even a blown motor could stop the 2005 SunStang team from crossing the finish line at the 2005 World Solar Challenge in Australia. The team proudly crossed the line at 3:23 pm on the eighth day of the race.

SunStang covered over 2000 km on just the power of the sun. They worked hard as a team; camping out- covered in flies- under the stars and staying optimistic through all their obstacles, right till the end.

At this time, the team still does not know their official standing in the race. However, not a single team member is too worried about the standings because they now have memories to last a lifetime.

"We could not have made it as far as we did without the support of our sponsors,"says Imran Atcha, 2005 SunStang Project Manager. "The support, including material, monetary and technical service was all instrumental in making sure we competed. We obviously would like to thank Jack Cowin and Hungry Jack's for ensuring we made it to the race. His support for all the SunStang WSC teams was the only reason we were able to compete at this world class event."

SunStang also received support from local companies, including:

• UGS PLM Solutions who provided state-of-the-art Unigraphics NX CAD/CAM/CAE software as well as cash
  
• Fibercote Industries of Connecticut provided  state-of-the-art carbon fiber material
  
• Meridian Magnesium, the team’s largest monetary sponsor from the London area, provided monetary and technical assistance to the team
  
• JMP Engineering, General Dynamics, and Tesma International also supported the team with funds as well
  

"The blood, sweat and tears from the last few years has been hard on all of us, and very few have been able to maintain the rigorous duties needed to keep the project going," says Atcha. "I hope that the success from this race will lead SunStang to a sustainable future, where the team can focus on the important duties of designing and manufacturing a safe and reliable world class vehicle."

Atcha adds, "The hard work by the teams from 2001 to present have ensured that SunStang is back and that people are watching."

In addition to the sponsors, Atcha would like to thank: Ben Esposito, Garrett Cole, Doug Binkley, Fallon Reid, Jessica Rodriguez, Tom Gwozdz Taha Amiralli, Ray Julien, and all the others from the 2003 and 2004 race teams.

As for SunStang's future - Atcha thinks it looks very bright. "The 2007 car will be a vehicle to remember," Atcha explains. "It will be competing at the 20th anniversary of the World Solar Challenge."

2007 also coincides with the 15th anniversary of the SunStang team. The team has some exciting plans over the next couple of years to celebrate these amazing accomplishments.

Click here to read Weblog entries from Atcha and other SunStang members... The group wrote these entries while competing in the race in Australia.

Photos from Australia

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