World premiere of ‘Racing With the Sun’

ANN ARBOR—Confidence, excitement, disappointment yet ultimately: Michigan pride. It was a thrilling ride for the team of students representing the University of Michigan’s solar car in the World Solar Challenge in Australia.

A new 30-minute documentary, “Racing With the Sun,” that offers a vivid up-close look at the team’s dedication and determination in the Outback will premiere at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, at the Michigan Theater Screening Room in Ann Arbor. The event is free and open to the public. Members of the Solar Car Team will be on hand to answer questions afterward.

The Big Ten Network will broadcast the documentary Friday, Feb. 10, immediately following the U-M-Michigan State University hockey game. The video was produced by Michigan Productions, led by Chris McElroy.

Students from disciplines across campus put their heart and soul into the October 2011 race that included a smoldering brush fire and wind-shearing road trains. Quantum placed third behind teams from Japan and The Netherlands. It wasn’t the first-place finish they were hoping for, but no other U.S. team has had back-to-back top-three World Solar Challenge finishes.

“Racing the solar car across the Australian Outback is an experience unlike any other,” said Eric Hausman, Quantum project manager. “The documentary portrays this experience and emotions of the team throughout the race wonderfully. We are looking forward to learning from the experience to build an even better car moving forward.”

Related Links:

• For more on the Solar Car Team, visit: http://solarcar.engin.umich.edu/
• For more information on Michigan Productions, visit: http://www.michiganproductions.org/