Brunel Solar Team hindered by forest fires on first day of world solar racing championships

The bushfire season is in full swing in Australia; the country is ravaged by wildfires. The Delft students who started their journey through the outback today are also confronted with it. A breathtaking experience, according to driver Ben Onland: "We often see smoke on the way, but this time, it was a lot. We could see the smoke from a few kilometers away. This made my visibility worse. Suddenly, I also saw flames in the distance. It's very intense to experience it from such a close distance."

The wildfires emphasize the importance of the strict protocols in place during the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. These protocols are designed to ensure that all team members and drivers can be safely evacuated in case of a threatening situation. Additionally, the team maintains constant communication with the event organizers. The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge has several safety officers accompanying the route to ensure the participants' safety.

At exactly 8 a.m. this morning, the first solar car started the over 3000-kilometer-long challenge. Day one often involves searching for overtaking opportunities. Overtaking is quite challenging in the initial kilometers of the route. The Stuart Highway, the battleground of the World Solar Challenge, is mostly single-lane in most sections. Teams not only have to consider other solar cars but also so-called road trains, trucks sometimes as long as fifty meters. On the first day, the Brunel Solar Team managed to climb one position in the rankings by overtaking the German team from Aachen. The team has now covered about 750 kilometers.

Currently, the Delft students are in second place, with only the Belgian team ahead of them. The current world champions remained out of reach today, with a lead of 22 kilometers. Strategist Sweder Blanken said, "It's good that we're already in second place, but we'll have to go the extra mile to secure that first position."