The Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2026 got underway at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota, marking the first time the solar car event has been held at the 3.1-mile road course. The opening day brought plenty of energy from the student teams, but it also came with difficult conditions, as crosswinds of more than 16 mph affected the track throughout the day.
This year’s event set a new attendance record, with 39 teams registered. Of those, 15 cleared the required safety inspection and were able to start racing on day one. The field is also the most international in the event’s history, with teams from the United States joined by entries from Canada, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Early standings after day one
In the Single-Occupant Vehicle class, École de technologie supérieure, based in Quebec, Canada, led the standings with 112 laps and also posted the fastest lap of the day at 3:31:00 on the 3.1-mile circuit. In the Multi-Occupant Vehicle class, Georgia Tech finished day one in front with 77 laps, ahead of Appalachian State’s 55 laps. MIT was third with 3 laps, while Iowa State, Minnesota, and Polytechnique Montréal had not yet recorded a scoring lap.
Appalachian State, however, turned the quickest single lap in the multi-occupant category at 4:24, beating Georgia Tech’s best time of 5:04 for the day. With two full days of racing still ahead before Thursday’s finish, the standings remain far from settled. The event also included interviews with several teams, which are set to be shared through Electrek’s social channels in the coming days.
Source: electrek.co
