The latest news of the team.
We arrived! - Race Day 6
At about 10:30 on Friday the 18th of October the time had come: The Covestro Sonnenwagen has reached the finish line! The car and the whole team was braved all the adversities of the last week and never gave up. Despite storm winds, a sandstorm, a terrible accident and its consequences, we proved to ourselves what team spirit really means.
Nothing can stop us! - Race Day 5
After yesterday's shock, the mood in the team was again characterized by pure motivation. In the night we finished all the minor repairs again and additionally concealed a few beauty flaws so that the sonnenwagen crosses the finish line in its full splendour. In a relatively short night under a splendid starry sky we prepared ourselves for the possibly last race day and drove off again punctually at 8 A.M.
When you think you have overcome the worst ... - Race Day 4
Just as we ended the previous day in the storm, the next race day began just as stormy. After we had freed the sun car from the sand again, we started the stage to Coober Pedy relieved with the expectation to have survived the worst. But contrary to our hopes, shortly before our arrival at the checkpoint we were even worse hit. It was a consequence of unfortunate events that we could not expect and simulate in this constellation.
Cloudy with a chance of sandstorms - Race Day 3
In the morning we started punctually into the third race day towards Alice Springs. Carried by pure sunshine and clear sky we were faster than expected. With an average speed of 95 km/h we reached Alice Springs and Kulgara. So on the third day we already did more than half of the distance! After repeated mistakes of the competition at the checkpoint we could extend our lead and catch up to the top 3.
The race to catch up - Race Day 2
At 5:30 the alarm clock rang. Just in time for sunrise the breakfast was prepared for the team. While the majority of the team took care of dismantling the tents, our electrical engineers were already working on optimising the sonnenwagen for the next leg to Tennant Creek, the longest leg of the race to date. The stage extended a good 400km through the Red Desert of Australia.
The race begins - Race Day 1
After our driver Olli could secure us in the qualification an excellent starting place No. 2, we started under great conditions into the race. 35 degrees, pure sunshine, accompanied by a few sheep clouds.
At the starting line directly in front of the parliament building of the Northern Territory in the heart of Darwin Christoph took over the steering wheel of the sonnenwagen for the first stage. This extends to Katherine, the first checkpoint on the way to Adelaide.
The first meters on Australian soil
The second stop on our journey from Adelaide to Darwin to compete in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2019 is Coober Pedy. In the opal capital of the world, the conditions for testing were ideal for us: seemingly endless highways with bright sunshine. But before that, we first had to overcome the approx. 800 kilometers between Nuriootpa and Coober Pedy.
The adventure goes into a new round!
Finally we are off! After more than two years of design and manufacturing work, the first part of our team has arrived in Australia. After our first participation in 2017, we are thus back again to compete with a new team and an even newer vehicle in the Outback.
Sun and dissapointment | Diary of the WSC 2017
Today Australia greeted us with a clear sky in the morning. For the first time since the first day of the race, we had an expectation of sun all day long and we could show what our Huawei Sonnenwagen is capable of. We had to do so: Yesterday we drove a lot of kilometers and the next control stop was secured, but until Coober Pedy we had to drive constantly 70 km/h for over 6 hours.
Of storms and emotions | Diary of the WSC 2017
4:30 in the morning. People yelling on the camp ground. It's cooler than usual. It had rained the night before, but something was wrong. Yelling again. Sleepy people in their underwear crawl out of their tents and try to get a picture. "Help me with the car!" you hear Hendrik shouting. A storm front has crossed the camp, it is very windy. Two tents must be held in place to prevent them from flying away.
Changing weather | Diary of the WSC 2017
Finally, the sun is shining again! The third day began with a clear sky for us and we were finally able to recharge our battery while driving. Due to our position of surrounding clouds and the clear sky above us we had up to 1100 watts of power coming from our solar cells. The atmosphere in the team was high!
Race Day 2 or issues upon issues | Diary of the WSC 2017
Last night's bad news: The car only used 70 watts in the evening hours, a fraction of the expected power. This also explained the low battery level, which we didn't expect at our speed at the end of the first day. The solution was only found in the early morning hours: After many complicated assessments of the problem were thought through, it was in the end nothing more than a wobbly contact.
Race Day 1 | Diary of the WSC 2017
Dear fans, friends and family,our Huawei Sonnenwagen has finally started the race! During a festive ceremony, all solar race cars were lined up in the government district of Darwin according to their starting position. After our great success during qualifying yesterday, we started from position no. 5. This fact gave us a small advantage compared to teams starting from later positions.