Sunday started very early as the first prototype runs were to start at 8h30 a.m. The teams were in line one hour before the opening, to be sure to have a spot on the track. The team was sceptical concerning the temperature because the sun was not completely up yet, making the air a lot colder than yesterday. Indeed, our engine is more efficient when it’s hot. However, because of the changes made during the evening of Saturday on the Engine set-ups, as well as the great performance of our driver, we ended the run with a consumption of only 8.5 ml of gasoline, out of the 6 miles of the track, resulting in a score of 2565 mpg, our best so far. A few changes on the ECU and the team was ready for another try. 8.8 ml were consumed this time, for a result of 2522 mpg.

Two hours were left, in the afternoon for prototypes runs. The team decided to push the engine to the limit of its efficiency and change its driving strategy. While in line, however, electronical problems occurred and it took us around 20 minutes to figure what was wrong and fix it. There was time for one last run and we really felt like we could beat our best score. However, while cornering, during the second lap, another vehicle hit us on the side, closing a security kill switch. The engine couldn’t start after this switch was turned off, resulting in a «Did not finish» attempt. It was even more disappointing to know that the line up for the attempts closed 2 minutes earlier and that we couldn’t go back on the track for a last run.

Despite of this unfortunate moment, the score of this morning’s run of 2565 mpg was enough to win the first position in the categories «Gasoline Energy» and «Internal Combustion Engine» for prototypes for a third consecutive year!

A positive point about this competition is that the team really improved the reliability of the electronical controls of the engine. This allowed us to attempt and complete more runs than last year and the year before. The year is not over, however, as there are still 2 competitions left! We invite you to follow us on May 26 to 28 as we will be in Germany for the European version of the Shell Eco-Marathon!

We would also like to thank all the members involved in the organisation and the conduct of the event of the Shell Eco Marathon in Houston. The event was a clear success from beginning to end and we had a great time participating. Congratulation also to all the other teams for their realisations and their efforts to build a fuel efficient vehicle this year! You can follow us on facebook at this adress http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alérion-Supermileage/145580805484916 .