The heart of American Motor Sports beats with regular roars and whines of machines.
That is until Formula Sun racing begins each summer at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka.
Formula Sun Grand Prix is an annual solar car racing competition. It’s quiet, relative to the goings on that usually occur at Heartland, but the competition is no less intense.
Collegiate teams from around North America build solar cars, and the racing tests the limits of their vehicles in handling curves, braking, and acceleration. They’re self-designed by student teams and funded with sponsorships, as evidenced by the
Single and multiple-occupant solar cars compete in separate races.
For vehicles in the single occupant class, the Formula Sun Grand Prix winner is determined by the most laps completed over their racing days of 8 hours each racing day. Multiple occupant racing counts average speed, number of passengers, total number of laps, and the amount of external charging used during the event.
