KALAMAZOO (WKZO) -- WMU’s Sunseeker has cleared all the preliminaries and became the third car to qualify for the big race after undergoing a series of inspections of its various systems, and qualifying to certify that its drivers were up to the task.

Tim Panek one of the drivers says its not like driving your father’s Oldsmobile...for one thing there is no A.C. He says they have three drivers who will work in shifts to get it cross country.

There were 18-solar cars that began the qualifying and only 13 have survived to make it into this year’s Sunrayce competition. It will begin Saturday in Rochester New York, trail down thru Ohio and into Michigan, where the cars will make a Pit stop in Kalamazoo this coming Tuesday.

Cars from Michigan, Michigan State and Western Michigan have all cleared qualifying and will participate in the 16-hundred mile race.