25 Oct Bridgestone World Solar Challenge Recap

Five days and four nights after leaving Darwin, Arctan and the Stanford Solar Car Project team arrived in Adelaide, South Australia. We came in a strong sixth place finish, one of the seven top teams to complete the race in five days. The team ran a tight ship the entire race, not stopping once except for control stops and end of race day. SSCP performed so well because of the extensive testing, incredible determination and focus of the race crew and drivers, and support of the parents. Thank you to Loie, Andrew, Dan, and Morgan who followed us through the entire journey as well as Olga and Andrei who joined us in Darwin and Adelaide.

Arctan approaching the finish line at Victoria Square in Adelaide. Photo Credits Hayden Hall

The final race time from Darwin to Adelaide was 41 hours, 23 minutes, and 59 seconds,  less than three and a half hours behind the winning Nuon Solar Team. Check out the full timing board at World Solar Challenge. It was an incredible voyage through all of the 3022 km, mostly spent on the Stuart Highway. The two years of preparation, design, manufacturing, and testing came full circle as we crossed the finish line in Adelaide. Thank you our team members, sponsors, family, and friends who supported us from the start.

The team with Arctan at the finish line! Photo Credits Hayden Hall

This past weekend, all of the solar electric vehicles were on display in Victoria Square in Adelaide. On Sunday, the cars were lined up in the street for a parade of possibly the largest gathering of solar cars in history. That evening, we attended the final awards ceremony. Congratulations to the top finishers, awards winners, and every team who participated in this incredible event.

Arctan in WSC2015 parade. Photo Credits Alex Lubkin

If you want to read more about the day to day activities, locations, and driving during the race, make sure to check out the daily race blog posts which have been updated with photos! Also look into major news sources that covered the race and Stanford Solar Car Project: The Guardian, BBC, International Business Times, Stanford University News, and Gizmag.