After an exciting half-blind stage, the Twente team will start tomorrow in pole position. Solar Team Twente took the lead in the Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa during the fourth challenge day. The team started the day with great confidence and managed to execute a strong strategy during the challenging half-blind stage.
Today, at 08:01, Solar Team Twente set off from the second position, just behind the Belgian Innoptus Solar Team. The partially unknown route was only announced yesterday, after the end of the third challenge day, which forced the team to come up with an best possible strategy at the last minute.
Strategic driver change
During the first segment, Solar Team Twente performed a seamless driver change, while competitors Brunel Solar Team and Innoptus Solar Team changed earlier. This led to a thrilling pursuit, with the Belgian students temporarily regaining the lead. However, Solar Team Twente remained focused and drove right behind them towards the first stop of the day.
Lead increased
Halfway through the day, Solar Team Twente was about 15 minutes ahead of Brunel Solar Team and less than five minutes behind Innoptus Solar Team, both of whom had yet to serve their time penalties. After the competitors had served their penalties, Solar Team Twente took the lead again. This gave them a lead of around 15 minutes over Brunel Solar team, who were closely followed by Innoptus solar Team
Extra Loop Decisive
At a crucial moment, Solar Team Twente decided to go at full speed to complete an extra loop. This required planning and speed, as the team had to be in before 17:00. In the end, Solar Team Twente managed to cross the finish line a little after five pm, positioning the team currently at the top of the standings with a total of 2163 kilometres driven. Innoptus Solar Team is in second place and Brunel Solar Team is in third.