Around Campus: Falcon EV Competes in Record-Breaking Solar Car Race

The 2024 Solar Car Race boasted the largest number of competitors in its 28-year history, with 32 teams vying for titles. Among them, for the second consecutive year, was FWCD’s team, Falcon EV, who built their solar-powered car from the ground up, ready to push the limits in this four-day challenge, July 14-17.

Walker Gaines ’24, Richard Souchick ’24, Arjun Vasudevan ’24 and advisor Dr. John Cordell led the team. Other team members included Andrew Lobo ’26, Carolina Zamorano ’25, Sophia Marcincuk ’25, Chloe Barker ’25, Maddox Wolfe ’25, Jason Pham ’25, Ben Hatem ’25, Laura Marques ’24, Rhea Alexander ’24 and Henry Murphey ’26.

Exclusively at Texas Motor Speedway, this year’s race began with scrutineering on July 10. Teams faced a series of tests to ensure their cars met the standards required to compete. Falcon EV passed all tests by the afternoon on July 12, allowing the team a brief break before the race’s start.

Over the next four days, Falcon EV raced around the track. They placed second on days 1 and 2 with 70 and 75 laps, respectively. Day 3 was tough for them, with a fourth-place finish with 60 laps. Falcon EV stole the spotlight on Day 4 with a first-place finish (52 laps). After four days of racing, Falcon EV made its team and school proud with a third-place overall finish with 260 laps (390 miles).