World Solar Challenge started

The »Bridgestone World Solar Challenge«, the race for solar-powered cars covering 3,000 kilometers across Australia, got underway on Sunday (October 22). The German solar car team »Sonnenwagen Aachen« leads the fleet of solar-powered race cars after setting the fastest time in a dynamic qualifying session at Hidden Valley Raceway on Saturday morning. Sonnenwagen Aachen was the fastest car, covering the course at an average speed of 88 kilometers per hour (km/h). Following behind Sonnenwagen - and less than a second off the qualifying time - is Innoptus, the defending World Solar Challenge champions from Belgium. Third is the Dutch Brunel team, considered the best in the world, followed by compatriots Top Dutch Solar Racing.
The first competitors are expected at the finish line in Adelaide on Wednesday afternoon. Vehicles will stop at nine official checkpoints in Katherine, Dunmarra, Tennant Creek, Barrow Creek, Alice Springs, Erldunda, Coober Pedy, Glendambo and Port Augusta. The rally, which normally runs from Adelaide to Darwin every two years, last took place in 2019, and was cancelled in 2021 as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic.
© PHOTON