LANGLEY — The vehicle sitting near the old bus barn at Langley Middle School doesn’t look like any other drag racer you’ve ever seen.
There are no monster engines and the loudest sound it makes is a high buzz. Frankly, it looks a little like a grounded bird with a busted wing.
But the South Whidbey High School students who built the drag racer will see how fast it will fly when they compete for a world speed record at the third annual Solar-Powered Drag Race next weekend.
The race is Saturday, June 23 in Wenatchee and the speed to beat is 17 mph.
Last September, solar engineer Tim Economu and high school teacher Jay Freundlich got together to see if they could find a way to engage students in a worthwhile project.
“We wanted to get something started so we brainstormed ideas and ended up with a solar drag racer,” Economu said.
They put the word out at school, and initially 10 students showed up to see what was going on.
“Chad (Yingling) told me about a solar car meeting and I decided to check it out,” Ted Housego recalled. The group ended up with five students, including Eric Vanderbilt-Mathews, Dylan Scoles, Geoffrey Wilson and Matt Foote. The group has been meeting once or twice a week to put their sun racer together.
They had some expert assistance. Paul Dickerson was a member of the Western Washington University team in 1990 that built and raced the solar-powered Viking 20 to second place across America in the American Solar Challenge. The team later fifth against world-class teams racing across Australia.
The drag racer is made of recycled parts; the steel frame was found in a scrap heap, the steering, tires and brakes from old bicycles and braces are fashioned from a soccer goal and irrigation pipes. The car is 18 feet long, 7 feet wide and 6 feet high.
Eight large solar panels are used to feed a constant source of DC power to a small motor that’s attached by a cable to a rear wheel; there are no storage batteries. The driver lies on a wooden board steering a mountain bike’s handle bars.
The idea is to produce high torque and low speed at the start, then high speed as the car hurtles down the 820-foot-long track.
“We change the gear ratio to increase speed, but we’re still working out the details on that,” Scoles said.
There are other engineering factors involved, but those details remain a closely-guarded secret lest the competition finds out.
“Anyone who wants specific details has to come over to Wenatchee, where all will be revealed,” Economu said.
“After we win.”
The original idea for the world’s only solar drag race came from Jim White, who runs the commercial energy efficiency programs for the Chelan County Public Utility District.
“We have solar panels installed at many locations, including all the schools here,” White said.
“But the panels are static by nature and I thought it would be fun to challenge people with the drag racer concept. There’s a different dynamic involved because, unlike long-distancce vehicles, there’s no way to store the sun’s energy,” he said.
The race attracted just three entries the first two years, including teams from Chelan High School, Central Washington University. Brooks Solar Company was the 2006 winner, and its racer hit a top speed of 14 mph.
White expects five entries this year, including the Falcon team from South Whidbey.
The winning college and high school racers will receive a $1,000 scholarship, so there’s something on the line beyond bragging rights.
Solar drag racers use only sunlight that can be captured by the vehicle — no batteries or other pre-charged energy devices are allowed. Racers start from zero and accelerate down a straight track.
While one or two horsepower is not much, theoretically it should be enough power to accelerate the racers from zero to more than 50 mph. But high speeds also mean efficient solar cells, lightweight construction, exceptional aerodynamics and some type of transmission system between the wheels and motor is needed.
“The specifics of how that works in our vehicle exactly is top secret, of course,” Economu said.
“This project has real educational value,” Freundlich said. “It provides a different way of learning and the chance to work closely with adults. Plus it teaches the value of the sun as a sustainable energy resource.”
So who gets to drive on the big day?
“Well, Chad has a license, but we’re not sure yet,” Scoles said.
After test rides, the boys felt the experience was, in equal parts, “scary, thrilling, amazing and totally sweet.”
Though the project was built on a shoestring, some expenses are absolute.
“We are looking for someone to loan us an enclosed 18-foot trailer or box van for the trip to Wenatchee,” Economu said.
Anyone interested in helping on the transportation issue can call Economu at 579-7498.
Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or sports@southwhidbeyrecord.com.
