Solar Team Twente and the student team from Leuven are engaged in a real battle of the titans in Australia on the penultimate day of racing in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. Just 25 minutes apart, the top two are far ahead of the rest of the competition. The student team also proved to work together as a close-knit team today. The students formed a human wall to protect their car from the strong gusts of wind.
The team spent the night some 65 kilometres before Coober Pedy. Here, the wind was already blowing briskly last night and this morning when driving away, the frontal wind only proved stronger. Despite this, Solar Team Twente again made several attempts to get closer to the Belgians today. After all, the inhabitants from the Dutch region Twente were closing in on the Belgians yesterday.
Exciting game of chess
A first attempt by the Twente team came just after the first stop. Solar Team Twente stepped up the pace considerably at 15km/h, but the Belgians reacted immediately and did the same. As a result, the first Twente attack of the day was repelled. "Copying the speed is called mirroring and makes it difficult to catch up with the competition. It's a game of chess, with both sides waiting for the other to make a mistake," said strategist Mark Boulogne.
Powered by Human Energy
That the student team stands for cooperation was further proved here. The students lived up to their slogan - Powered by Human Energy. To protect the car from the strong wind during open-panel charging, the team formed a human wall. And successfully, in half an hour their car recharged substantially thanks to the bright morning light of the South Australian sun.
Patience
It is unclear exactly how much energy is in the Belgians' battery. Therefore - with over six hundred kilometres to go - the Tukkers must remain patient. "As long as we keep the pressure on, the coin can fall two ways: either the Belgians empty their battery too early or they stay ahead of us until the finish. In the last 24 hours, we will do everything to avoid the latter. On the final stretch, anything is still possible. There are still hills to come and you get back into urban areas which means it will be busier. The battle is not over yet," race leader Kirsten Bouwman told Glendambo during penultimate control stop.
Final night in the Outback
The students from the University of Twente and Hogeschool Saxion have now arrived at their final night stop in the Australian Outback after the fourth day of racing. They are now about 247 kilometres from Adelaide, which means the team will reach the finish line tomorrow. With 35 kilometres to go until the Belgians, the team will be hoping to come out on top tomorrow morning and become world champions.