Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2026: Day 1 results and gallery
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- Formula Sun Grand Prix ran its first-ever race at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota, a 3.1-mile road course, with crosswinds of 16-plus mph raking the track all day.
- École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) leads the SOV class with 112 laps and the event's fastest lap of 3:31, averaging roughly 53 mph on the 3.1-mile track.
- Georgia Tech paced the MOV class with 77 laps, holding a 22-lap cushion over Appalachian State's 55, while MIT sat third with just 3 laps before leaving the track.
- Appalachian State posted the MOV class's fastest single lap at 4:24, quicker than Georgia Tech's 5:04 despite trailing on total lap count.
- Iowa State, Minnesota, and Polytechnique Montréal had yet to post a scoring lap as of Day 1's end, leaving the standings wide open with two full racing days remaining.
- FSGP 2026 set an attendance record with 39 registered teams, 15 of which passed scrutineering to start racing — and for the first time the grid included teams from the Netherlands and Belgium alongside US and Canadian entrants.
Why it matters: With a record 39 teams from four countries competing on a new 3.1-mile course, FSGP 2026 marks the moment solar car racing broke from a US-and-Canada niche into a genuinely international student competition — but only 15 of 39 entrants actually made it past scrutineering, showing how steep the technical bar remains for newcomers aiming to join a field still dominated by veterans like ÉTS.
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