Belgium finishes third in World Solar Challenge race
The Innoptus Solar Team from KU Leuven came third in the World Solar Challenge in Australia on Thursday. Following their two victories in the solar car race, the Belgian team lost their title in an unprecedentedly close finish.
The KU Leuven students started the race in 16th place on Sunday, but had climbed to second by Wednesday. On Thursday, they had 236 km left to cover to reach the finish line in Adelaide. Ultimately, the team finished third, behind two teams from the Netherlands.
The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge takes place every two years, with teams from all over the world travelling from Darwin to Adelaide across the Australian Outback. The 3,021-kilometre race is considered the unofficial world championship for solar cars.
Overtaken during stop
The Belgians finished with a depleted battery on Wednesday and were overtaken by the Twente team from the Netherlands during a necessary half-hour stop to recharge on Thursday, dropping them from second to third place.
"We started less than three kilometres behind the leaders today," said energy engineer Maarten Vansteenkiste. "Because we didn't have enough energy in the morning, we had to stop to recharge, which caused us to drop back to third place."
Close finish
"We were then able to catch up with the teams in first and second place, but ultimately finished third," he added. After two consecutive victories at the race, the Belgians were unable to retain their title.
The team from Delft in the Netherlands took the world title, while the Twente students won the silver medal. The teams were very evenly matched this year, with the top three finishing less than half an hour apart, which is unprecedented in this race.
#FlandersNewsService | The presentation of Infinite Apollo in Antwerp, May 2025 © BELGA PHOTO INE GILLIS
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