Hey everyone,
So, after another Saturday of testing Axiom up in Hanna, it's time for another update on the team's progress with testing of the car.
The weather was much more co-operative than last week, more sunshine and a lot less wind, which put everyone in a slightly better mood. The biggest goal for the day was to get all our solar car and convoy vehicle drivers some practice driving in race formations.
We drove as a main convoy (lead, solar car, and chase vehicles) for most of the day, and got to practicing some passing manoeuvers, oncoming-traffic situations, and other scenarios we would most likely have to deal with during the race.
As for Axiom's performance, again she outdid our expectations, with no major problems except for a few finnicky tires. The electrical systems worked without a hitch thanks to the tireless work of Tim and Jeff (our engineering manager) the night before. Tim will likely update you on electrical performance by Wednesday.
One of the highlights of the day was when our entire convoy managed to reach a speed of 120 km/h on one of the straight sections of the track.
This speed is particularly significant to the team because it represents the highest speed ever reached by our previous car, Schulich I. Knowing that we reached this speed with Axiom, even with key aerodynamic components missing, gives us more confidence that we can do really well next month at ASC. It will definitely be awesome to find out the maximum speed we can get Axiom up to!
Finally, we took a whole bunch of pictures and videos on Saturday; here is a vid of a drive-by of our convoy at the track -- definitely much cooler than still pictures!
My next update will be just before we depart on the Schulich Axiom Alberta Tour, hopefully everything will be ready to roll by then!
Talk to you next Monday,
Joseph