Sydney - The Dutch team that over recent years has dominated the unofficial world championships that Australia puts on for solar-powered vehicles streaked to its fourth victory Thursday in the bi-annual World Solar Challenge. Nuon Solar was ahead in Alice Springs, the half-way point in the 3,000-kilometre dash from Darwin at the top of the continent to Adelaide in the south, and continued to build its lead until the chequered flag fell just before sunset signalled the end of racing for the day.
"It feels fantastic, absolutely fantastic," driver Oliver van der Meer told national broadcaster ABC after crossing the finishing line on the outskirts of Adelaide. "I mean we work so hard for this. A complete year off, everything that we ... our heart, blood, sweat and tears are in that car."
Grey skies after Alice Springs mean the Dutch team is unlikely to break its record of 29 hours and 11 minutes.
The Dutch are likely to be followed home by Belgium's Umicore with local entry Aurora in third. Japan's Ashiya University is set to take fourth place, the University of Michigan fifth, and Germany's FH Bochum Solar Car Team sixth.
"This band of cloud that's come through, and the light rain that's been through the north of Alice Springs today, has certainly changed the equation with a number of teams," race director Chris Selwood said. "The nature of the event, for energy-management strategy of this endurance event, the weather does play an important factor."
Selwood said race organizers were reluctant to time out any of the 37 vehicles that began the race in Darwin on Sunday. Some are being trucked part of the way.
"Rather than send them home, because they are still capable of running, we load them up onto their trailers and send them forward to an open checkpoint," he said.
"If they miss two consecutive checkpoints, they need to move up to an open checkpoint so that we have got some control over where people are, and we can keep an eye on them and support them and maximize their Solar Challenge experience."
