Big thanks to this year’s event sponsors: Velotric, NIU, MathWorks, Generac, IOSi, SunCat Solar, and Tesla
After a challenging weekend and a half of “scrutineering,” teams are now beginning to tighten the last bolts ahead of the official start of the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2024. The event will kick off tomorrow, July 16, at 10 am CT at NCM Motorsports Park.
FSGP is open to the public and completely free (you’ll be asked to sign a waiver at most); however, if you’re unable to attend, there are still a few ways you can follow along on the fun.
In case you missed it! Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) is an annual event that usually serves as a pre-qualifier for the biennial American Solar Challenge (ASC) cross-country race when it takes place. The 2024 Electrek FSGP will take place at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where students will go head-to-head, competing to complete as many laps as possible on nothing but solar energy. Thirty-two teams from colleges from around the globe will participate in single or multi-occupant vehicle classes.
This year, the FSGP ground crew will livestream the event’s opening as the solar vehicles take their respective places at the starting line. The stream is scheduled to begin 15 minutes before start at 9:45 am CT on YouTube.
In addition, NCM Motorsports Park hosts permanent streams of the track in both a North and South view, which are available here. This page will also include the electronic lap count and official results for each team as they come in.
Schedule
Today marks the end of the “scrutineering” phase, or a thorough inspection process that all solar car teams must pass before they can compete. This process ensures that each vehicle meets the safety and technical standards required before taking to the track.
The actual race portion spans three days: July 16 from 10 am to 6 pm and July 17-18 from 9 am to 5 pm.
FSGP serves as a pre-qualifier for students to prove that their solar vehicles can trek a rigorous 1,500+ mile journey from Tennessee to Wyoming for the American Solar Challenge.
To qualify, a team must either:
- Complete 205 miles (66 laps) in one day on the track
- Complete 308 miles (98 laps) in two consecutive days on the track
Moreover, each team driver must complete an additional 53 miles (17 laps) to be allowed to drive on the road. The 2024 Electrek ASC will occur directly after the FSGP on July 19 in Nashville. We’ll have more on this as the week continues.
FSGP 2024 Teams
1 – Purdue
2 – Michigan
4 – MIT
5 – Florida
6 – Berkeley
7 – Dalhousie
8 – UT Austin
9 – Iowa State
12 – Texas A&M
13 – Michigan State
16 – Stanford
17 – Illinois State
21 – Virginia Tech
22 – Illinois
24 – Waterloo
26 – British Columbia
32 – Principia
35 – Minnesota
49 – Georgia Tech
55 – Poly Montreal
79 – Florida Poly
87 – Virginia
92 – ETS
96 – Western Ontario
116 – McMaster
406 – Montana State
505 – Kennesaw State
608 – Wisconsin
614 – Ohio State
777 – UOP
786 – Western Michigan
828 – App State
Note: The Formula Sun Grand Prix is not in any way associated or affiliated with the Formula 1 companies, FORMULA 1 racing, or the FIA Formula One World Championship.
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