Belgian Solar Team regains dominantly the lead (update)

On Tuesday, September 17th, the Belgian Innoptus Solar Team, the KU Leuven University student team, covered more than 700 km during a challenging desert leg of the Sasol Solar Challenge in Kuruman (South Africa).

By doing so and covering more than 100 km more than their competitors, they broke their own daily record and retook the lead. Never before has a team covered so many kilometers in one day. The Belgians are now first in the ranking, with a lead of 84 kilometers over the team from Twente, and 115 kilometers over the team from Delft.

Kalahari desert

The team crossed the Kalahari desert, where strong crosswinds often occur. To take advantage of these crosswinds, they used an extendable and rotating fin that the solar car is equipped with. This fin allows the solar car to sail and uses less energy.

In recent days, the two strongest teams—team Leuven and team Twente—have played leapfrog with each other. None of the teams managed to build a convincing lead, and the leadership position was passed several times.

On Monday (16/9), the Belgians started in first position after returning to the top of the rankings in the Sasol Solar Challenge and setting a daily record on Sunday. After some technical problems the day before, they started in third place and covered 672.9 kilometers. It was the first time in the competition’s history that a team could cover so many kilometers in one day.

Evenly matched

However, on Monday, the team from Twente chose a different strategy and could complete one extra loop, which put them in the lead again, with a lead of 16 kilometers. The two teams are clearly evenly matched. The next few days will be crucial, but the Belgians have confidence in their car and hope to cross the finish line as winners in Cape Town.

Driving loops during the race can increase the number of kilometers driven, and the goal is to cover as many kilometers on solar energy as possible. On Sunday, the Belgians strategically rode 7.5 loops, surprising the classification leaders who only rode 7. This gave them a lead of up to 15 km. On Monday, however, the competing team from Twente opted for another strategy and covered more kilometers, pushing the Belgian team back to second place.

Max kilometers in eight days

In October 2023, the Belgian Innoptus Solar Team, the student team of KU Leuven University, became the world champion in Australia with the earlier version of their car. To face the increased challenge of the Sasol Solar Challenge, the Louvain-based students adjusted their vehicle and focused on some significant innovations, like the cooling system and the airflow behind the back of the car.