Watch out, world! Iron Lion IV is about to come out of the lair!

It's light, it's sleek, and it has a reliable power source: the burning summer sun.

The 14 Iron Lions team members were putting the final touches on their solar car this week before heading off to competition July 12. They'll start at the Texas Motor Speedway, where judges will scrutinize the engineering to make sure that the car is safe to drive and able to complete the race.

Then the Iron Lions and 26 other high school teams will hit the road for California. There will be three drivers: Team captain Logan Wood, Emma Yost and Noah Buchanan. Even though this is a young team - only four are returning members - they're ready to rumble.

"I had so many seniors in front of me who taught me well, and that knowledge keeps gettting passed down, and we get better and better," Wood said. "One thing that sets us apart is how hard we're willing to work. And we work well as a team - everyone knows their job, and they do it well."

GISD Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins stopped by the garage on Tuesday to wish the team good luck and to take a peek under the hood.

"The Solar Car competition is an exciting tradition for us and our students," Liggins said. "They are applying their engineering, electrical, design and problem-solving skills. And they're having a blast doing it. Plus they get to take an awesome road trip to California. One sponsor told me that over the years, almost half of his student team members had never left Hunt County. This extraordinary experience truly opens new doors for them."

The race will end July 23. Follow the journey on GISD's Facebook and Twitter pages!

Also, a special thanks to Goodyear, which donated the special tires, valued at $850, for the car.

Go get 'em, Iron Lions!