Dutch team wins Australian solar car race
Oct 25, 2007
Source: PhysOrg.com
http://www.physorg.com/news112539945.html
The Dutch Nuon team won the World Solar Challenge Thursday after racing 3,000 kilometres (1,865 miles) across Australia’s desert outback against competitors from across the world.
The sleek, sun-powered Nuna4 reached the final checkpoint at Angle Vale in the southern city of Adelaide late Thursday afternoon after setting off from the northern outpost of Darwin on Sunday morning. The car will continue on to the ceremonial finish line in Adelaide’s Victoria Square tomorrow.
“It feels fantastic, absolutely fantastic,” said driver Oliver van der Meer. “We work so hard for this. Our heart, blood, sweat and tears are in that car.” It was the 20th anniversary of the race and the fourth win for the Dutch team, which holds the old race record at 29 hours and 11 minutes.
“It will be a new record because we redefined the challenge,” event director Chris Felwood told AFP. “It’s been a terrific race.”
The cars, which are fuelled purely by solar energy, race only during daylight hours. The second-placed vehicle will not complete the race until Friday. Belgium’s Umicar Infinity was battling it out with Australian entrant Aurora 101 for second place, Felwood said.
Earlier Thursday the Equinox car from the United States’ Stanford Solar Car Project blew a tyre and rolled, but the driver was unhurt. The Stanford University entrant was involved in the adventure class of the challenge, for solar cars that complied with regulations from previous events.
Cars competing for outright honours in the revamped race this year had to be new designs and were grouped in the challenge class.