AUTO COMPETITION

Each year, Road America, America's National Park of Speed,  hosts a high school competition in automotive classes.  There are several separate competitions. A) Ultra high Milage; B) Electrathon; C) Prototype
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A) Competition teams construct a vehicle that is either gasoline or diesel powered. They are given a measured amount of fuel and make a certain number of laps of the 4.048 mile track.  The remaining fuel is remeasured and, using a mathematical algorithm, the milage is calculated.  Most teams average well over 100 miles/gallon.  The greatest milage I can remember is a team from a few years ago that averaged over 400 miles/gallon.

B) Students construct a car powered only electrically.  They all have similar batteries and are allowed a single charge.  The differences among them are strictly in construction, aerodynamics, etc.  The team that makes the most laps of the 4.048 mile track in an hour is the winner.

C) Automotive classes at the school build a car from scratch.  They are required to sign up local sponsors who purchase/donate most of the equipment needed and they start with the chassis/frame and do all the welding themselves with the tutelage of their instructor. This takes the whole school year to complete and the teams are usually large to allow work to proceed all the school day.  It ends with engine/transmission installation and deciding who will be the designated driver from among the group of workers. They compete for time around the Motorplex course.
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The team shown is from the Plymouth schools about 10 miles from our little village...it's a larger school and, interestingly, the head instructor there (back row, left side, orange shirt with hat) is a graduate of our little school and a former student of mine (as is his wife).
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EXTRA:  This is a Kohler powered vehicle and has an interesting design.  It uses a belt drive to power the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) which uses a chain drive to power the rear wheels.  Notice how neat and crisp the frame welds are.
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The competition continues tomorrow so I do not know who won what.
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BEST IN LARGE.