History-Made: Badger Solar Racing Qualifies for American Solar Challenge

Badger Solar Racing reached an exciting, new milestone at the 2026 Formula Sun Grand Prix. For the first time in club history, the team qualified for the American Solar Challenge after proving their vehicle had what it takes. Although the competition didn’t end as they had hoped, the multi-day event was filled with valuable learning moments, team bonding, and unforgettable experiences. Tristan Surajbali, the Low Voltage Project Lead, reflects on the historic competition experience.

Badger Solar Racing’s second solar car, Sunburst, made its competition debut at the 2026 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota. The event marked the culmination of more than three years of design, manufacturing, integration, testing, and refinement by generations of students dedicated to bringing the team’s newest vehicle to life.

The competition began with Scrutineering, a rigorous series of technical inspections and dynamic tests that evaluate every aspect of a vehicle before it is permitted to race. Throughout four demanding days of inspections, our team worked through numerous mechanical and electrical challenges, demonstrating the safety and reliability of Sunburst. After successfully passing all required inspections and dynamic events, we were cleared to compete beginning on the second day of racing.

Sunburst completed 13 laps during its first day on track before the team identified a mechanical issue that required immediate attention. Prioritizing reliability and long-term performance, we withdrew from the remainder of the day’s competition to complete repairs and prepare for the final day of racing.

Those efforts paid off. On the third and final day, Sunburst completed 60 laps, bringing the team’s total to more than 220 miles around Brainerd International Raceway. This performance earned provisional qualification for the 2026 American Solar Challenge (ASC), marking the first time in Badger Solar Racing history that the team qualified for the prestigious cross-country event. We also finished 16th out of 35 teams in the Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) class—an impressive result for Sunburst’s first competitive outing.

Although the team celebrated this historic achievement, an issue discovered during final preparations for the American Solar Challenge prevented the battery pack from charging reliably. After carefully evaluating the situation, we made the difficult decision to withdraw from ASC.

While the week did not end exactly as we had hoped, FSGP 2026 represented a defining milestone for Badger Solar Racing. Successfully debuting Sunburst, completing more than 220 miles of racing, finishing in the top half of the field, and qualifying for the American Solar Challenge for the first time in club history were the result of years of perseverance, innovation, and collaboration. The experience provided invaluable lessons that will help strengthen our team as we continue building on this momentum and prepare for future competitions.

Thank you to Tristan Surajbali, Neel Shah, and Kyle Ma for taking the time to gather photos, details, and insights about the experience.