Staff Writer

PRINCETON-With gas prices just shy of $3, it would be nice to own a car that gets more than 350 miles to a gallon. And coincidentally enough, the Princeton Community High School high mileage team designed and built a car that will do just that.

The high school's high mileage team placed eighth out of 25 teams April 30 during the &#8220Indiana, Math, Science, Technology Education Alliance Super Mileage Challenge" at O'Reilly Raceway Park, in Indianapolis.

Instructor Larry Sisk said only 14 of the schools scores even got into the score book. To get a good score, a team had to complete at least three runs, in which the driver circles the 5/8 of a mile track 10 times in 25 minutes.

&#8220Just to make the final show is a definite goal," Sisk said.

During the challenge, PCHS' car averaged 368.88 miles per gallon, which apparently wasn't enough for some students. High mileage crew member Brian Collins said he would like to see the car get at least 500 miles a gallon.

Sisk said one of the things that makes the car get the great gas mileage is the driver only burns the engine for six seconds, until it reaches 30 mph. Once the car reaches that speed, it just coasts until it reaches 10 mph. Then the drivers burns the engine again.

&#8220If you coast more than you run on the motor, the gas mileage is better," Sisk said.

There are other things that separated Princeton's vehicle from other schools in the competition.

&#8220The difference between our cars and cars from other schools is our kids do all their own work in house," instructor Larry Sisk said. &#8220It's not my project - it's theirs."

Collins said another difference in Princeton's car is it has a drive wheel under the car that is attached to the motor.

While the car may get fabulous gas mileage, it's doesn't get speed that average cars have. Collins said the car can reach speeds of 30 mph.

Collins, a senior, has participated in the Super Mileage Challenge for the last three years.

&#8220I like how you start with nothing and come out with something," Collins said.

He said the group worked on the car for the last year, mostly on Saturdays. Collins said the group also tested the car at the Toyota test track to prepare for the Indianapolis competition.