Belgians win Solar Challenge, the World Solar Car Championships, for the second time

Participants had started their 3,021-kilometre journey in Darwin, in the north of Australia, last Sunday. The industrial engineering students from Leuven, the "Innoptus Solar Team", started their final ride with a 39-kilometre lead over their closest pursuers, students from the Dutch region of Twente.

They finally crossed the finish at 10.44 am local time in their car "Infinite", an aerodynamic, bullet-shaped design with three wheels. Their average speed was some 88 kilometres per hour. The Dutch team from Twente arrived some 20 minutes later.

"We were first and are so happy," Emma Stalmans told VRT. "Team Twente did not make it easy for us, and so we are all the happier that we were able to cross the finish line first. We worked hard for this for 15 months, so it's a very nice crowning achievement."

Bo July, who handles marketing, says this win is "indescribable". "Our dream has come true; we are going to remember this for the rest of our lives." According to team manager Cedric Verlinden, the team experienced a flawless outing: "We arrived first because for 3,000 kilometres we followed our own strategy."

According to Hasselt University Professor Bart Vermang, who helped supply the solar panels for Infinite, the victory is the result of many technical innovations. "For example, they put a fin on the car, which works more or less like a surfboard. It can surf on the wind, and since there was a lot of wind during the last five days, they were able to take advantage of that".

Weather conditions were also closely monitored in order to make the best use of solar energy, Vermang adds. The weight of the driver should also be considered, as this also affects speed. "Many things can go wrong, but I am very proud that we won again this time."