The vehicle pictured is the one we entered in the IMSTEA Super Mileage Challenge this year. We had it on display to get us and one of our major sponsors a little publicity. This was our sixth year of competition and the first time we went backwards as far as our mileage went. The premise is pretty simple. Build a car with a Briggs and Stratton 3-1/2 horsepower engine and see how many miles per gallon you can get while still maintaining a 15 mile per hour average. Every year we've improved our mileage and we've managed the three, ten lap runs needed to be officially scored for the day. Until this year. It started off bad and then got worse. We only managed 169 miles per gallon, down from almost 500 mpg last year. While 500 is good, it is still a long way from being competitive. You need over 1000 to run with the big boys.
Due to the way the rules are configured, we'll be building a new car this upcoming school year. I was going to bow out and hand it over to a couple of the younger teachers in my dept. but that didn't work as planned. The school has changed the schedule around so it looks like I'll have a little time 3 or 4 days a week to work on this thing with the team. That should do the trick. Of course, there's the money question. It takes a few bucks to build one of these things. This year was easy because we used the car from the previous year with only minor alterations. It's also the source of our frustration with the mileage going down, by the way. Next year, we'll be looking for donations, so some of you need to keep an eye out for Cuzzin Ricky, the bag man. The rest of you, if you're in Indiana, stop by your local high school and see if they need any help.
The contest is open to the public and is usually the last Monday in April. It's a great project and everyone involved does a lot of work with no financial reward. It's the kind of project that makes school fun. And believe me, that doesn't happen near often enough.
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