LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Formula Sun Grand Prix is a solar car challenge, featuring more than 30 teams from across the country. The race is happening July 3-5 next week at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, and one of the teams in the competition will be representing Big Blue Nation.
Mechanical engineering senior Clay Parsons joined the team his freshman year.
“UK had a solar car team that I've never seen before,” Parsons said. “As time went on I eventually fell in love with the project.”
The University of Kentucky Solar Car Team is a student-led organization, and the group has been active since 1999.
“Now in 2025, we're one of the top performing solar car teams in the nation,” Parsons said, with trophies to back up his claim.
Their most recent car, the Gato del Sol VI, has been in use for the past six years. The car has never finished off of the podium, and the car holds the track record at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. This year, the G6 is retiring, and the team is finishing work on the Gato del Sol VII.
“The initial concepts for this car started back in 2019,” said Cameron Souder, an electrical engineering graduate student. “We didn't officially start building the car until around 2022.”
We are testing new suspension, a new chassis, a new aeroshell,” Parsons added. “We're testing new wheels, new steering, new everything.”
A lot of new pieces but only a little time because the Formula Sun Grand Prix is rapidly approaching.
“We'll race for 3 days around the track as many laps as we compete, and then at the end of those 3 days, whoever had the most laps wins the race,” Parsons explained.
“This is the car's very first race, the first time it'll ever be tested on out in the real world, so a lot of things can go wrong during that,” Souder added.
The team finished third the last time it competed in this race in 2022, but with a new car, Souder says they are unsure what to expect.
“It's pretty nerve wracking, but I think we're pretty optimistic that we can do well if we do make it out on track.”
After spending six years working on this car, the team hopes to keep winning – both on and off the track.
“It's just a great experience,” Souder said. “We're all passionate about the same things. Uh, we want to succeed at competition.”
“I'm happy with our product,” Parsons added. “I'm very happy with what we designed, especially as a team, and I’m more than happy to fight through whatever problems we face with this team because I could not ask for better friends.”
