The fight at the head of the races is exciting. In addition to Team Innoptus from Belgium, two Dutch teams are doing the final victory. All three teams are about 300 kilometers before the finish in Port Augusta.
The Brunel team with the Nuna 13 was the first to arrive and has a lead of just over three minutes on Titlegigerer Innoptus. The solar car from Twente is currently third, but has a backlog of just under 20 minutes on the students from Delft.
Technical problems
Despite an exciting start with technical problems during static loading and a good cloud cover, the team from Delft managed to maintain the lead. On the way to Alice Springs, an exciting tactical duel developed, in which both teams cleverly dealt with busy traffic situations.
New weapon must help jubilating solar car Nuna 13 win in Australia
We knew that the traffic at Alice Springs would be busy and therefore had adjusted the best driving strategy in advance, “says Kees Broek, driver at the Brunel Solar Team.
,, While driving I changed jobs a few times to hold the pace. At a traffic light we stood next to Innoptus Solar Team, but because we had consciously chosen the left lane, we were able to work just a little faster at the green light and grab the short turn. As a result, we were the first to enter the control stop. “
Further expand ahead
After the first stop, Nuna 13 was able to further expand the lead. With tightly executed control stops, where the team managed to win time for the competition, the position was strengthened. ,, The secret of a good control stop is a lot of practice, says Thijmen Scheffel, Structural Engineer at the Brunel Solar Team.
Several times in the day, the secret weapon of Brunel, the Canopyvin, went out, which must provide extra pushing force. As the race continues to the south, the changing climate becomes noticeable. A thick cloud cover and a cooler temperature made the race extra challenging. ,, “
“Because of the clouds, we always have to make a trade-off between speed and energy consumption,” says Ruben Zuidergeest, strategist at the Brunel Solar Team. “Less sun means fewer energy income, so we adjust our pace accordingly. It is constantly switching and looking ahead.”