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Sasol Solar Challenge 2024
The Innoptus Solar Team, 2023 world champion, is preparing for the SASOL Solar Challenge in South Africa, known as the most extreme solar car race in the world. Over eight days, they will cover more than 4,000 kilometers from Johannesburg to Cape Town. To face the challenge of altitude differences and harsh weather conditions, the students are optimizing their winning solar car, the Infinite. The race requires not only speed, but also strategic driving, with the goal of covering as many kilometers as possible. The team adapts their strategy and technology to be successful in this demanding competition.
19/09: DAY 7
The end of the Sasol Solar Challenge is near, and things are looking good for the Innoptus Solar Team!
They covered 563 km today, driving through breathtaking scenery. One moment they saw mountains, the next the sea. To save energy for the final stage, they chose to drive a little slower today. The team from Twente chose a different strategy and managed to cover 27 km more. Despite that, Infinite will still start tomorrow with a 57 km lead.
The team is within a hair's breadth of the finish line in Cape Town.
18/09: DAY 6
After a smooth first day in the mountains, the Innoptus Solar Team is still in the lead, with a lead of 84 km over the team from Twente and 115 km over the team from Delft. Although they had never driven the Infinite through the mountains before, they achieved an impressive feat. Moreover, they enjoyed breathtaking views during the ride.
Today, all three teams rode at a similar pace, which resulted in each team completing 6 loops.
17/09: DAY 5: BACK IN THE LEAD
After 5 days in the Sasol Solar Challenge, the excitement is only increasing! All teams raced through the Kalahari Desert today at an impressive pace. The crosswind was perfect for their secret weapon: the fin! With this advantage, they drove 8 loops, 2 more than the competition from Twente and Delft, allowing them to cover no less than 100 km more than the rest.
Thanks to this performance, they are now in the lead again, with a lead of 84 km over Twente. In total they drove 700 km today, breaking their own record from a few days ago. The team is incredibly excited, but will stay focused until they reach Cape Town!
16/09: DAY 4
We are officially halfway through the Sasol Solar Challenge! The fourth day went particularly smooth. With enthusiastic high school students cheering along the sidelines, the battle between the Low Countries continued. Today the Innoptus Solar Team took a safe approach and completed 6 loops, finishing second, just behind Twente, who drove 7 loops. Tomorrow they will continue the hunt to take back the lead position!
15/09: DAY 3
Today the Innoptus Solar Team made history!
The team is back in the lead, and here's how they did it: after technical problems, they started third today. Thanks to the hard work of the technicians during the marathon phase, the car was more reliable than ever, which made for a smooth start.
Soon they overtook Brunel, one of the Dutch teams. However, Twente, the other Dutch team, was still ahead. What followed was an exciting chase, with all teams going to the limit. Around the fourth loop they managed to overtake Twente, with only a few seconds difference.
At the end of the day, all teams had completed 7 loops, but the Innoptus Solar Team surprised everyone by adding another short loop instead of stopping for the evening. As a result, they managed to complete 7.5 loops and covered 672.9 kilometers, the largest distance ever driven in one day during the Sasol Solar Challenge.
14/09: DAY 2
Day 2 was a very eventful day! It is becoming increasingly clear why the Sasol Solar Challenge is called the most extreme solar race in the world.
The team started first today and everything went according to plan. They drove effortlessly through the traffic and the heat. But suddenly, during the second loop, they faced technical problems, which fortunately were quickly resolved. Combined with the 36 minutes of downtime, due to their choice to arrive late yesterday, this meant that they rode one loop less than the two Dutch teams. As a result, they lost their lead and, after a total distance of 922.4 km, are now 9 km behind them.
Despite this setback, the team is confident that, after the necessary checks during tonight's marathon stage, they will be able to pick up the pace and take back the lead in the coming days!
13/09: DAY 1
After 15 months of hard work, the time has finally come: today the Sasol Solar Challenge kicked off!
The team covered 489.2 km today, which puts them in first place. The day began smoothly, but near the loop near Heidelberg the traffic got busier. Together with the two Dutch teams, they drove loop after loop, with only a few minutes difference. While the Dutch teams chose to head toward the finish line, the Belgian team decided to do one more loop. This caused them to arrive 23 minutes later, but this strategic decision earned them a 37 km lead and first place. This does mean they will have to stop for 36 minutes tomorrow.
So far, everything is going according to plan. The Sasol Solar Challenge is a strategic game and promises to be an exciting neck-and-neck race, but the team is ready.
At the end of Day 1, only happy faces at the finish line!
12/09: Tomorrow is the day!
After an exciting week of technical testing, the Innoptus Solar Team, got the green light: the Infinite meets all the requirements. Wednesday the qualification took place and there too the team shone with a great performance. On Friday, they will start from the second position!
Put this page among your favorites, because from the race actually starts on 13/09, we will give a daily update on how the team is evolving in the race!
Axxes x Solar
The solar cars of the Innoptus Solar Team are a perfect example of what is possible with renewable energy, innovative techniques and a dedicated team. A mission that we at Axxes of course fully support. Since 2020, we proudly support the Solar Team as a sponsor. To lead the team to victory once again, the IT consultants at Axxes have developed a navigation app. What exactly this app entails and how previous challenges went can be read in our blog posts 'Axxes x Solar' and 'A strong display of solar power with the assistance of Axxes'.