Mouser sponsors local student teams from Ben Barber Innovation Academy

Formula Student racing

In 2026, the Mansfield Independent School District (MISD) Shine Runners Solar Car Team took a break from the Solar Car Challenge to try the Formula Student competition. The open-wheel, formula-style car has a combustion engine. The F1 contest challenges high school students to design and compete in an engineering competition, which focuses on speed, handling, and reliability. For the first time, the team from Ben Barber competed in the Formula Student USA National Track Day event in Elkhart, Wisconsin on the famous Road America track.

The F1 racecar is equipped with a four-wheel, independent adjustable suspension, an 18-horsepower Briggs and Straton engine, hydraulic adjustable foot pedals (to allow for variations in height), a CVT transmission, and a custom painted fiberglass body. Many of the car parts were manufactured by the 17-member team in their welding and CNC machining lab at Ben Barber. Students were able to translate their machine skills into real world scenarios.

Several students gather around the solar car as one student sits in the driver's seat and another stands beside the cockpit, preparing for a test or demonstration A student drives the solar car along a paved area near a school building

Solar Car Challenge

For many years, Mouser sponsored the MISD Shine Runners Solar Car Team in the Solar Car Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, joined by its valued manufacturer partner Analog Devices.

The Shine Runners consists of aspiring, multi-discipline students from Ben Barber. The team was founded in 2011 and has competed in seven previous races. In past years, the team has received the Guntis Terauds Award for showing the highest level of courage in the face of engineering obstacles, along with the prestigious Lockheed Martin Award for demonstrating the highest level of engineering excellence.

To learn more about Mouser's educational programs and dedication to shaping future engineers, visit our Educational Sales page.

Learn more Solar Car Challenge

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Photo Gallery

Two students crouch beside the solar car, working on the exposed engine and mechanical components near the rear wheel
A group of students stands behind the solar car with the number 59 and sponsor decals, posing together outdoors on a paved area
Several students gather around the solar car as one student sits in the driver's seat and another stands beside the cockpit, preparing for a test or demonstration
A student drives the solar car along a paved area near a school building
A student drives the solar car across a large paved lot outside a school
A student sits in the cockpit of the solar car while other students stand nearby and make adjustments to the controls and interior components
A student sits in the cockpit of the solar car, holding the steering wheel, with the roll cage and dashboard gauges visible
A student drives the solar car across a paved area near a school building
Close-up of the front section of the solar car showing the number 59, suspension components, and sponsor decals on the red body
Close-up of the solar car's engine and drivetrain components, including wiring, pulleys, and a Vanguard motor mounted inside the frame
Close-up of the solar car's cockpit showing the steering wheel, gauges, switches, and control panel
Close-up of the solar car's front body displaying sponsor decals, including a large Mouser logo, with exposed wiring near the dashboard
Students gather around the solar car raised on a jack while one person works on the exposed engine and drivetrain components as others observe
Solar car team standing behind the solar car
Four students with tools working on the solar car
Four students with tools working on the solar car with a jack underneath the car.
Working on the chassis of the solar car
Three students working on the back-end of a solar car
A close-up of a student working on the solar car from the back
Five students performing maintenance on the solar car
3 students working on a solar car
A close-up of three students working on the solar car
Three students working on the solar car right below its tail lights
Two teenage students
Three students sitting next to the solar car
A student with safety glasses with his hands inside the workings of the solar car
One student working on the solar car with two students looking on
A student leaning in to the front of the solar car
The cock-pit of the solar car
A student putting a tire on the solar car