Cruising To Victory: Wylie East Takes First In National Solar Car Race

Wylie East High School’s solar car team is once again in the winner’s circle. Competing in the Advanced Classic division of the 2025 Solar Car Challenge, the team’s solar-powered vehicle, the East Beast, drove an impressive 868.5 miles over four days of racing at Texas Motor Speedway.

Led by co-captains Zetyn Becerra and Orion Ramirez, the team’s victory marks a back-to-back championship win for the North Texas school.

Solar Car Challenge: A Race of Innovation and Grit

The Solar Car Challenge isn’t your average high school competition. Founded in 1993 by educator Dr. Lehman Marks, the program aims to ignite student interest in science, engineering and renewable energy. Over the course of several months — and in many cases, years — students design, build and refine solar-powered vehicles from the ground up.

Before racing begins, cars undergo rigorous “scrutineering” to ensure safety and rule compliance. Once on the track, it’s a battle not just against time but also heat, mechanical failure and exhaustion.

“This is the brain sport,” Marks said. “It’s not just about building the car, but how to drive that car, solve the inevitable problems that happen with the car, and keeping your team intact through four grueling days of racing. Doing the Solar Car Challenge makes these students better equipped to face the challenges they’ll have in life.”

A Worldwide Competition

This year, 27 teams from nine states participated, including 13 from Texas. High schoolers from California to Connecticut converged on Fort Worth for the 32nd annual race. The Challenge currently supports 261 student solar car projects across 39 states and beyond, including international efforts in countries like Spain, Singapore and Costa Rica.

Observers from China attended the 2025 event, with plans to participate in 2026, and the Challenge continues its collaboration with the Arab Renewable Energy Commission, which represents 22 Middle Eastern nations.

“The Solar Car Challenge has been named one of the top Science and Engineering programs in the country by Science & Technology magazine,” Marks said. “We teach the kids how to build a plan, come up with a budget, fundraise, how to engineer the car and manage the project, all while they’re learning about how to harness energy from the sun to make a car go down the road.”

New Divisions and Cross-Country Dreams

The event alternates each year between the speedway and a cross-country race format. Looking ahead, the 2025 Solar Car Challenge will introduce a new racing category, the Cruiser division, which requires cars to have four doors and solar arrays embedded in the vehicle body.

With a growing international footprint and ever-advancing technical challenges, the Solar Car Challenge is shaping not only the next generation of engineers but the future of renewable transportation itself. And with back-to-back titles, Wylie East is cruising confidently into that future.

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