Brunel Solar Team secures third place in World Solar Challenge: "Fought extremely hard for it"

Adelaide, Australia, October 26, 2023 - The Brunel Solar Team fell short of adding an eighth world title to their achievements. Delft students have to settle for a third-place finish in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. The team completed the over 3000-kilometer route in just over four days.

With slight disappointment but primarily immense pride in their performance, the team crossed the finish line in Adelaide on Thursday afternoon. "Of course, we had hoped for more. We fought extremely hard for it and ran a flawless race. Nuna performed well, and we made no mistakes. A third-place finish is simply the best we could achieve. Many team members are feeling it now, but we can look back on this incredible adventure with our heads held high," said team leader Lennart Hessels.

The Innoptus Solar Team from Belgium secured the world title for the second time in a row. They finished sixteen minutes ahead of the Solar Team Twente, which came in second. The Brunel Solar Team followed less than two hours after the Twente team. "The Twentenaren and the Belgians have built incredibly good cars, and they have every reason to be proud. We can't help but admire their impressive achievements," said technical manager Alinda Dersjant. She added, "Back in Delft, we will investigate why Nuna couldn't keep up with the two leaders. But for now, we will celebrate the fact that, after a year and a half of incredibly hard work, we've reached the finish line of this challenge."

The second and third places prove that the Netherlands is a serious player in the world of solar car technology. Dutch students are among the global leaders in innovation in sustainable mobility.