AMERICA'S NATIONAL PARK OF SPEED

I spent the day at Road America race track for the annual Electrathon/Ultra High Milage competition for high school tech classes.

High school students from all over the midwest construct electric and/or fossil fuel vehicles and meet at the track for a competition. They get to "race" their vehicles on the vaunted 4.084 mile track for time and/or efficiency.

Their designs are truly awesome. For the high milage competitors, they are given a specified amount of fuel which is weighed before they start. They take two laps around the track and the fuel is measured/weighed again to see how much has been used. An algorithm determines miles per gallon. These competitors race for efficiency...not time. They have a fuel tank that holds maybe 125ml of gasoline but most use only a thimble full in two laps. Most achieve a milage measured in hundreds of miles per gallon.

I found out today that the Supermileage winner Monday averaged 400+ mpg.

Great experience for these kids....not to mention two days off from school. Best viewed in Large.