TU Delft Brunel Solar Team lies third halfway through the South African solar race

“I hope they will win for the fifth year in a row,” says a young fan in one of the videos. “The big five!” he adds, referring to the five wildlife species a successful safari brings you face to face with. But drivers Daan, Huub, Laurens and Lennard are not thinking much about big game. They keep their eyes on the road and try to make time for an extra loop along the way.

In the race that started on Friday 13 September, the team that manages to drive the most kilometres between start and finish time wins. Usually halfway through, there is a loop in the route that allows extra kilometres to be gained, though of course you have to be sure to get in on time.

And then there is always the chance of equipment failure under these extreme conditions. The TU Delft Brunel Solar Team, for instance, has already had to replace an engine due to overheating.

From day one the TU Delft Brunel Solar Team, the Belgian Innoptus Solar Team and Solar Team Twente have been swapping places. Innoptus was ahead after the first day with 37 extra kilometres, but a day later Twente and TU Delft had overtaken the Belgians. So the top changes every day. The most up-to-date overview and a live feed is shown on the Brunel Solar Team’s dashboard.

On it today, 17 September, day five of the race, it states: ‘We just passed Twente, putting us in seconed (sic) place for today!’ Hooray for Nuna. Three tense days still await them as the differences between the frontrunners are minimal.

The differences between the top three are minimal and change by the day.