Brunel Solar Team Secures First Pole Position for Sasol Solar Challenge After Thrilling Qualifying

The qualifying session took place this afternoon at Red Star Raceway, a circuit just outside Johannesburg. The starting positions for the Sasol Solar Challenge were determined through a so-called hot lap. "I am satisfied with my lap despite the spin," says Lennard de Graaf, driver for the Brunel Solar Team. "Although I had practiced for this and knew the limits of the track, Nuna suddenly slid out from under me, and I almost went off the track. Fortunately, I managed to recover quickly, and I am extremely happy that we secured pole position for this Friday."

Prior to the qualifying session, the team had an eventful night with Nuna 12s undergoing two repairs. During the circuit exploration, driver Lennard de Graaf encountered a disconnection with the throttle, which led to Nuna being pulled off the track early by the support vehicle. "During qualification training, you sometimes face challenges," says Cato Kral, team leader of the Brunel Solar Team. "A connector had come loose from the steering wheel, preventing us from accelerating. Fortunately, we were able to fix this quickly." Later, a problem with the connection of a solar cell was discovered, potentially affecting energy intake. "We discovered this while checking the impact of shadow on the panel. By reversing the panel, the solar cells were able to generate light, and we mapped out which cells were functioning poorly with a special camera. Team members worked all night to resolve the issue, successfully."

Sterre van der Wal, strategist for the Brunel Solar Team, looks forward to the first day of the challenge with optimism. "We really wanted to finish in first place during the qualifying session today because there are few overtaking opportunities on day 1 of the competition. Each

team drives in a convoy, and overtaking the entire group is very challenging. We are therefore extremely pleased with our pole position. We control the playing field and can drive at our own calculated speeds."

The Brunel Solar Team consists of eleven motivated students from TU Delft with various technical backgrounds, ranging from aerospace to computer science. For over a year, they have dedicated themselves to developing their solar car, Nuna 12s. The team's goal is to inspire the world in the fields of sustainable mobility and innovation. With Nuna 12s, they will compete against international teams in the Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa in September 2024. Brunel has been the team's main sponsor since 2022, connecting top specialists to challenging projects.