Two Boys Win for Solar Car Creativity

Two Boys Win for Solar Car Creativity
A pair of home-schooled sixth graders who went high-tech to the highway are being recognized for their creativity. Matthew Beck of Bangor and Albert Lowe of Winterport used extracurricular time to tinker with wooden dragsters that run almost exclusively on solar power.

The car Beck and Lowe designed, named "Drag-on," received two honors at the recent Maine State Finals of the Junior Solar Sprint race in Owls Head, which drew middle school pupils from all over the state.

The car's durability won the boys, who are both 12, first place for technical merit and second place for innovation.

"We didn't want to be super-competitive, we just went to have fun and to learn more about other designs," Lowe said. "We ended up coming away with two medals."

Junior Solar Sprint is a national program for middle school children, who are challenged to design and build vehicles using only their ingenuity and a standard solar panel and motor.

They originally designed "Drag-on" to look like a drag racer. The body of the car was built of balsa wood. The wheels came from an old toy.