Students compete in solar car races
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EUGENE, Ore. - They may not have been soap box derbies, but these middle school students took an old pastime to a whole new level on Saturday morning.
More than 400 students from all over Eugene and Springfield competed in the EWEB Solar Challenge.
Students handmade and designed their own solar cars to run on solar and electric energy.
Each participant competed in different divisions which included speed racing, uphill racing, and an art car concept competition.
Students said it's a great chance to show off their skills and learn more about solar energy and aerodynamics.
"We're just trying to see how to make it go faster, see how fast it's going to go, and see if it changes," said Molly Jensen, a 7th grade student at Kelly Middle School.
"It felt really exciting and tense and glorious to watch it," said David Diaz, a middle school student from Eugene.
Organizers said this year's EWEB solar car competition was the largest event in the program's history.
A total of 150 cars were registered in the annual competition.
