KU Leuven’s Innoptus Solar Team lost its European title on Sunday after finishing second to the Netherlands’ Top Dutch Solar Racing in the 24-hour iLumen European Solar Challenge at Circuit Zolder.
The Belgian student team, based at KU Leuven, was narrowly beaten by the team from Twente in a race powered solely by solar energy.
After Prince Laurent gave the starting signal, 32 solar cars from 28 teams across 18 countries set off in the endurance event. Around 1,000 engineering students took part.
The aim was to complete as many laps as possible within 24 hours using only solar power. During the race, teams were allowed to stop a maximum of two times for one hour to recharge their car batteries.
The battle for victory remained close for much of the race, with the teams from Leuven, Twente and Germany’s Team Sonnenwagen Aachen repeatedly trading places.
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“Twente delivered a very strong race for the full 24 hours,” organiser Michiel Jansen said. “They made no mistakes, carried out their driver changes well and performed consistently. They are deserved winners.”
The Leuven team stayed in contention for first place for a long time, but lost ground in the closing stages after a setback.
One of the two Belgian solar cars crashed in the morning in difficult conditions, as night turned to day and the track changed from dry to wet.
According to Jansen, the crash may have been caused by an error of judgement by the driver, although the exact cause has not yet been confirmed.
Despite the incident, the team still finished second, but surrendered its European crown.
