After a long and successful year of development and testing Bryce and the University of Oklahoma Racing Team were off to race in the EV Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As rain continued to fall on Tuesday, all track sessions were postponed until Wednesday.
On Wednesday the track was greeted by the warmth of the sun allowing for the track to dry up and for track sessions to begin. Bryce was lightning fast in practice, but upon making a gear change the team noticed the motor beginning to lock up. This resulted in a decision to change motors. The team got to work and was able to re-wire and mount the new motor in 30 minutes. The speed of the motor change allowed for the team enough time to jump into qualifying.
After laying down a lap that was good for the front row, the team was informed that the “black box” that monitors the motors power output was indicating that the kart was over powered. The team began working to solve this problem, going as far as lowering the power ceiling to as little as 25% in order to try and meet the demands of the black box. The team stuck with this limit for the race.
At the wave of the green flag it was apparent that the kart was significantly underpowered. Bryce fell back to 5th on the start where he lingered until lap 15 when the team made the decision to risk a penalty and raise the power. As a yellow flag waved for a wreck on the track, Bryce dipped into the pits where the team made a power adjustment to 50% from 25% in just 10 seconds, getting Bryce back on the track before being lapped. Bryce came around to the green flag in the back of the pack, but within two laps Bryce made his way through the field to gain the lead.Bryce was driven up on from behind around lap 30, but still maintained the lead. The team would lead the next 30 laps.
After that wreck the kart began to lose power significantly. As power faded the team fell back to fourth position where the team would finish the race. The power loss could have been attributed to the wreck or overheating of the motor (cooling fan was sacrificed in order to limit re-wiring time during motor change). Upon finishing the race the team noticed that the black box was indicating the kart was overpowered. After battling to lower power levels to meet the demands of the black box, the team was informed that the black boxes were reading spikes that were indicating that the power levels were higher than they really were. So the team was not penalized in the final race. The team is still awaiting the results for overall event placement which encompasses the race as well as design and community outreach.
Overall, this team showed how strong they really and had many proud moments from leading most of the race and showing speed and accuracy with the motor change and pit stop. Although the team faced obstacles that caused frustration, they walked away knowing that the innovation and development that the team conducted was top notch and had a car that was very much capable of a win.
“I am so proud of our team. My dad was even able to travel to the race with our team and contributed greatly like he always has with my racing! Although the win in the race was not attained, we still were proud of our achievements through engineering. This group of people are some of the most intelligent and hard working people I have ever been around. I know for a fact that the team, as well as the team members, will achieve great things in the future. I am so thankful for the opportunity to race for my University and to be surrounded by those who make me a better person.” – Bryce Cornet
The team will continue development into 2017. Check out their Facebook page for more about the team!
Sooner Electric Racing Facebook Page
