Sasol Solar Challenge Results

The final day of the Sasol Solar Challenge saw the teams arrive in Cape Town, with Delft (Brunel) in the lead after 8 gruelling days. Brunel’s fantastic performance is tarnished somewhat by the fact that a member of one of the South African teams threw a tool (?!) at Agoria’s solar panel last night, seriously damaging it. Without that damage, it is possible that the Belgians could have won.

The updated chart above incorporates some minor corrections to previous days. Not shown in the chart is UniChamps (University of South Africa), the sole Cruiser class team.

See my annotated list of teams for all team social media links. The official race social media is at      

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Sasol Day 7 / iESC begins

Day 7 of the Sasol Solar Challenge took the solar cars along the coast from Jeffreys Bay to Riversdale via Knysna and (optionally) Buffelsbaai. The Dutch and the Belgians are still-neck-and-neck, with the Dutch ahead by the tiniest whisker (10.1 km). Nail-biting stuff!

Follow the Dutch at brunelsolarteam.com/race, the Belgians at live.solarteam.be, and see my annotated list of teams for team social media links. The official race social media is at      

Meanwhile, scrutineering is beginning in Belgium for the massive fleet of cars in the iLumen European Solar Challenge (see my annotated list of iESC teams). I count 4 teams from the Netherlands (6 cars), 2 teams from Germany (3 cars), 2 teams from Turkey, 2 teams from the UK, and 1 team each from Belgium, Colombia, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland. That’s 19 cars in total (10 Challengers and 9 Cruisers).

The 24-hour track race will start at 13:00 on the 17^th, continuing until 13:00 on the 18^th. For fans at home interested in the weather, check the forecast. It looks like it will be rather wet, sadly. At the top of this page is a webcam nearby, looking west, towards the Zolder racetrack. This webcam is at the track itself (with a view of the “Kleine Chicane,” looking roughly north from just about the centre of the track). See the race social media at      

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Sasol Day 6 / iESC begins

Day 6 of the Sasol Solar Challenge has seen some back-and-forth overtaking between the Dutch and the Belgians (in between roadworks), but the final position is the same as yesterday. Follow the Dutch at brunelsolarteam.com/race, the Belgians at live.solarteam.be, and see my annotated list of teams for team social media links. The official race social media is at      

Lodz Solar Team’s Eagle Two

Meanwhile, solar car teams are starting to arrive in Belgium for the iLumen European Solar Challenge (iESC). Naturally, I also have an annotated list of iESC teams. Scrutineering begins on the 15^th. The 24-hour track race will start at 13:00 on the 17^th, continuing until 13:00 on the 18^th. For fans at home interested in the weather, check the forecast. Also, at the top of this page is a webcam nearby, looking west, towards the Zolder racetrack. This webcam is at the track itself (with a view of the “Kleine Chicane,” looking roughly north from just about the centre of the track). See the race social media at      

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Sasol Solar Challenge Day 5

Day 5 of the Sasol Solar Challenge was a “blind stage,” where teams did not have advance notice of the route. There were no “loops,” so the gap between the Dutch and the Belgians is unchanged. North West University (NWU) gained some ground on Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). The totals in this chart are based on adding up official daily distances – for NWU, this does not seem to quite match the official total.

Follow the Dutch at brunelsolarteam.com/race, the Belgians at live.solarteam.be, and see my annotated list of teams for team social media links. The official race social media is at      

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Sasol Solar Challenge Day 4

Day 4 of the Sasol Solar Challenge saw the Dutch ahead of the Belgians again, by a mere 29 km. North West University (NWU) in their unique car (pictured) is still trying to catch up to Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). Coming up next is a “blind stage,” where the teams are not told in advance what the route will be.

Follow the Dutch at brunelsolarteam.com/race, the Belgians at live.solarteam.be, and see my annotated list of teams for team social media links. The official race social media is at      

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Sasol Solar Challenge Day 3

Day 3 of the Sasol Solar Challenge sees the Belgians clawing back the Dutch lead from the first day, driving more of the optional loops, and coming out 22.6 km ahead. The South African teams from Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and North West University (NWU) are battling it out for third place. See this website for video explanations of the technologies behind TUT’s car.

Follow the Dutch at brunelsolarteam.com/race, the Belgians at live.solarteam.be, and see my annotated list of teams for team social media links. The official race social media is at      

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Sasol Solar Challenge Day 2

Day 2 of the Sasol Solar Challenge sees the Belgians clawing back some of the Dutch lead from the first day, driving more of the optional loops. The South African teams from Tshwane University of Technology and North West University are battling it out for third.

Follow the Dutch at brunelsolarteam.com/race, the Belgians at live.solarteam.be, and see my annotated list of teams for team social media links. The official race social media is at      

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Sasol Solar Challenge Day 1

Day 1 of the Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa sees the Dutch leading, followed by the Belgians (who had some bad luck), with Tshwane University of Technology the fastest of the South African cars. The lone Cruiser class car, which trailered, is not shown in the chart above. The bars in the chart show the base distance for the day (221.2 km) and the optional loops of 49.8 km, of which the Dutch team drove 7.

Follow the Dutch at brunelsolarteam.com/race, the Belgians at live.solarteam.be, and see my annotated list of teams for team social media links. The official race social media is at      

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Sasol Solar Challenge Hot Laps

Cars in the Sasol Solar Challenge have run their “hot laps” to determine starting order – see the chart above (UniChamps is the sole Cruiser class team). Since I understand that the track is 4.3 km long, speeds in km/h are 79.0 (Delft/Brunel), 77.8 (Agoria), 74.1 (NWU), 68.5 (TUT), 62.4 (Voltwagen/JV), 51.1 (UFS), and 45.7 (SolarFlair).

The Sasol Solar Challenge road race begins on the 9^th. I also keep a detailed annotated list of teams up to date. The official race social media is at      

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Sasol Solar Challenge Update 2

Scrutineering for the Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa has finished. Green ticks on the chart above show cars that have passed dynamic scrutineering (all teams, now, I understand). Notice the unique fin on the Belgian car.

The race itself begins on the 9^th (route shown below). I also keep a more detailed annotated list of teams up to date. The official race social media is at      

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