[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 16] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 22886] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]TRIBUTE TO PRINCIPIA COLLEGE SOLAR CAR ______ HON. JOHN SHIMKUS of illinois in the house of representatives Friday, September 26, 2008 Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Principia College Solar Car Team. Since 1995, students and advisors have worked on perfecting their solar car model. This year, they came very close to that goal by finishing second in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge. The Challenge is a 2,400-mile race from Plano, Texas to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This year, fifteen cars began the race; only five finished. Principia College is a small liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois that does not even have an engineering program. The Principia solar car team beat out much larger schools to finish second in the exhausting ten day event. On the second to last day of the race, Principia's car experienced electrical trouble and stalled for seventy-five minutes. The team electricians were able to remedy the problem and put the car back on the road. Advisor Joe Ritter and his team remained calm throughout the race, especially during the electrical complications. The pioneering spirit of the young people on the Principia College Solar Car Team deserves recognition and thanks. These students are the ones who will carry our country forward. I stand with my colleagues today to honor the Principia College Solar Car Team for an outstanding second place finish in the North American Solar Challenge. ____________________