The Belgian Team, Innoptus has reached Adelaide winning the 3020 Km cross continent race, the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.
The solar vehicle entered the SA capital about lunchtime on Thursday with the Netherlands’ Team Twente only about 30 km behind after five days of racing.
Headwinds played havoc but there was no stopping the Belgian Innoptus team as it neared the completion of the cross-continent solar race.
“In the Projecta Challenger Class, the Belgian team Innoptus in Infinite, the solar car with the futuristic fin, it was another story,’ offical race news read.
“Their revolutionary, rotating, retractable fin was able to enhance their aerodynamics, reaching speeds of more than 100 km per hour. The sleek, monohull RED X from the Netherlands’ Team Twente, was hot on their tail, doing their best all day to close the gap, seesawing between 20 and 50 kilometres.
“The chase is on for the lead. At the close of day, they are both south of the final control stop in Port Augusta, with Innoptus camped 213 kilometres from Adelaide and Twente 252 kilometres from the finish line.”
Further back in the field in headwinds battered the CSIRO Cruiser Class today with none of the competitive teams making the critical 5pm time point into the control stop at Coober Pedy.
“Though half the field had made the first critical time point, driving nearly 1,000 km before charging, they were unable to complete the second stage. As this is unprecedented, event officials are now considering how tomorrow’s final Cruiser stage will play out.”
WEDNESDAY: The Belgium team has covered 265km of the 3000 km cross continent race, flaunting its special fin technology on the Infinite solar vehicle.
But in second place late on Wednesday, Solar Team Twente at 2626km was not giving up and has chased the narrow margin since they entered Coober Pedy on Tuesday.
In third place Brunel in Nuna 12 are trailing at 2444km.
They should reach Port Augusta later on Wednesday.
The total race distance is just over 3000km and race leaders should be expected to reach Adelaide on Thursday after four days on the road.
The overcast conditions have hardly affected the solar powered vehicles with the leaders managing to maintain speeds in the mid eighties.
But it has been the windy conditions that have given Innoptus the advantage with their special fin designed aimed at maximising the efficiency of the vehicle.
EARLIER: After searing temperatures on Monday that reached 38 degrees the revolutionary finned Belgian vehicle; the Infinite, has a solid lead over the international competition.
The Innoptus team has reached Alice Springs, having covered 1494 km since leaving Darwin on Sunday.
70 km behind is the Dutch team Brunel with Team Sonnenwagen in third at 1345km. The forecast for Alice Springs for Tuesday is for 34 degrees and sunny, so ideal conditions for a solar vehicle, if less so for their teams.
Wednesday will be a lot cooler, only 28 degrees and cloudy , so how that will affect their pace remains to be seen.
Here is how the race organisers summed up Day 1;
“As the leaders set a blistering pace today, it was a blue car with a revolutionary fin, leading the way. With the Northern Territory temperature, a blazing 38 degrees, Belgian Innoptus Solar Team, driving Infinite, was staking an early claim on a second consecutive Bridgestone World Solar Challenge championship. To do that they’ll need to be able to hold off the flying Dutch. Team Twente, in RED X, who suffered bad luck in 2019 when they were blown out of contention by the notorious Stuart Highway crosswinds have today overtaken Brunel to move into second place. Changing design this year, from catamaran to monohull, appears to be paying off so far. The lionhearted Brunel team and seven times champions, also from the Netherlands, is in a tussle with Twente and will be trying to keep Innoptus in range.”
“Innoptus is now through NRMA Barrow Creek Control Stop, 284 kilometres north of Alice Springs, with Twente and Brunel waiting out their mandatory 30 minutes before the can resume the chase. The question is being asked can the Dutch catch up?
“Innoptus’s Infinite is travelling at around 95 kilometres per hour and has been steadily widening the gap from Twente’s RED X, now some 70 kilometres behind, who is engaged in a close-fought contest with Brunel in third place. German team Sonnenwagen Aachen who were early leaders, are in fourth position around 70 km behind Brunel, with Japan’s team Tokai staying in touch 60 km behind but travelling at a slightly faster speed. They are followed by US team Michigan in Astrum just 30 km behind who have now drawn ahead from Top Dutch and Japan’s Kogakuin in Koga who are having a tussle” of their own.”
EARLIER: The Innoptus team from Belgium sponsored by Axalta continues to lead the cross continent challenge.
The ‘Infinite’, with its revolutionary fin that can harness crosswinds, took an early lead in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, reaching the first NRMA Control Stop at Katherine at 11.29 am leading the field by five minutes, according to a release from the official race website.
Innoptus set a blistering pace overtaking German team Sonnenwagen Aachen and by the second NRMA Control Stop, Dunmarra, Innoptus, had an average speed of 96 kph, extending its lead over Brunel in Nuna 12 to 13 minutes, arriving at 3.09 pm.
The Brunel whose 2019 campaign went up in smoke so close to the Adelaide finish line, were also coming in hot, averaging 92 kph and were the second team to reach Dunmarra.
They were followed by their compatriots Team Twente, in RED X, steadily moving up the field overtaking Sonnenwagen Aachen.
At the end of the first day, some 66 kilometres separated the four frontrunners with leader Innoptus, , followed by Brunel, with Twente 39 km behind in third and Sonnenwagen Aachen just four kilometres further back.
EARLIER:
By Monday afternoon Innoptus had passed Tennant Creek and was over a third of the way to Adelaide having crossed 1045km since their Sunday start.
The weather is currently 35 degrees and sunny, ideal conditions for a solar powered car but perhaps less pleasant for the drivers in the lightweight vehicles.
About 50km behind the Solar Team Twente is racing along in second and Team Sonnewagen Aachen has just pulled into Tennant Creek in third place.
The next control checkpoint is at barrow creek 1209km from Darwin.
You can follow the race progress here.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 22
German solar car outfit Sonnenwagen Aachen lead the departure on Sunday of the solar-powered fleet from Darwin after posting the fastest time in a dynamic qualifying session at Hidden Valley Raceway on Saturday morning.
The hand-built vehicles all powered by the sun will push the limits of technological innovation in the 3020 km race to Adelaide.
Global automotive product producer Axalta has returned as the sponsor of the Innoptus team, made up of engineering students from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.
Axalta has been a Silver Sponsor to the Innoptus for the past eight years and this year is adding extra efficiency.
had the team’s car ‘Infinite’ painted at the Axalta refinish academy in Mechelen, Belgium
The vehicle has utilised the premium refinish brand Cromax and its Ultra performance energy system using patented Axalta Fast Cure Low energy technology.
The technology significantly reduces energy consumption in the spray booth and is the only refinish system that can be dried at lower baking temperatures or air dried at 20°C.
The team members of the Innoptus Solar team worked closely with Axalta technical experts in preparing the vehicle with sanding, masking, cleaning, demasking and logo placement.
Business Relations for the Innoptus Solar team, Pauline Vanvuchelen says this year the team were confident Axalta could handle their most aerodynamic entry so far.
“Not only are the Axalta experts incredibly skillful, but their guidance and input are invaluable in creating a car that looks amazing, makes sustainable personal transport a reality and is a contender to defend our 2019 World Championship title”.
Axalta refinish academy manager, Mechelen, Koen Silverans says the partnership worked so well because they shared the passion for innovation.
“Every time we welcome the team to our facility, they are more forward-thinking than ever before,” Silverans says.
“This year, it’s fair to say the Team and Infinite are the epitome of innovation, sustainability and energy saving – values we share and match when they walk through the doors of our Axalta Refinish Academy.”
Axalta’s sponsorship is dedicated to encouraging future generations of talent and promoting STEM subjects to upcoming students, he says.
The team’s engineering expertise has been used to create seamless integration of solar panel energy and car aerodynamics along with fin implementation to achieve significantly lower energy consumption and stability in crosswind conditions. The paint job was paramount for the weight considerations for Infinite as the fewer paint products used, the lighter, more aerodynamic and easier to reach its full speed potential.
The competition, which will involve setting up camp overnight in the desert, and passing through nine mandatory checkpoints along the route, will determine the success of the team’s engineering efforts as well as their strength to overcome the challenges faced while driving through the harsh environment.