Sat. March 8 Is 5th Annual Solar Grand Prix, El Dorado Park, Willow/Studebaker; Free To Attend, 400 Creative, Savvy Students On 69 Teams From 19 Schools Will Race Designed/Built Solar Powered Model Cars

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(Mar. 7, 2014) -- Long Beach's Fifth Annual Solar Grand Prix -- an event that has steadily grown since it was created a half decade ago by Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske -- will take place in western El Dorado Park (Studebaker/Willow area) on Saturday, Mar. 8, and over 400 students (grades 6-12) will show their scientific and engineering know-how and creative thinking as they race solar-powered model cars they designed and built to reliably travel a 65 foot course in the shortest possible time,

LBREPORT.com has cheered this event since its inception since (among other things) it puts a premium on brains, displays innovation, doesn't pollute and is free to attend.

LBREPORT.com will be webcasting LIVE (video on our front page -- www.LBREPORT.com -- on Saturday Mar 8. The event takes place in the Studebaker/Willow area; Dan Halverson will be on-scene to bring all the action to viewers citywide and across the country. The event is free to attend and is expected to attract over 1,000 family members, friends, and fans.

Sixty-nine teams from nineteen different schools will take part. They were previously given a generously donated (see below) Solar Car Kit containing a solar panel and an electric motor. The teams then applied their creativity and used their own materials to design and build an efficient and reliable solar powered model car.

On Saturday, the team's vehicles will race in head-to-head elimination rounds, and the winner of those rounds will be the team whose vehicle traverses the 20 meter (65 ft.) course in the shortest time.

"It's a great experience and an exciting event for the team members because students gain real world experience in the application of math, science and engineering skills," says Councilwoman Schipske. "The goal of this annual event is to inspire students to pursue careers in engineering and science and to explore careers with companies that focus on sustainability."

20-meter wooden tracks have been constructed by the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters since the competition began in 2010. Opening Ceremony and races begin at 10:15. Races will continue until 2:00 p.m. followed by an awards ceremony.

This year's solar car kits and student supplies were purchased thanks to generous donations from Signal Hill Petroleum and Sares-Regis. Donations also cover the costs of providing t-shirts, awards, track materials, lunch and other materials needed for the competition.

Sponsors of the Solar Grand Prix 2014 include: Signal Hill Petroleum, Pacific Pointe at Douglas Park by Sares-Regis Group, Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, The Port of Long Beach, Segue to Solar, Supervisor Don Knabe, AES Alamitos, P2S Engineering, Keesal, Young and Logan, Dr. Mike Walter, Long Beach Lifeguards Association, Bethany Lutheran School, and Partners of Parks.