International teams make a brief pitstop in Alice Springs
Teams from around the world have been racing from Darwin to Adelaide this week in the annual world solar challenge. They stopped briefly in Alice Springs this morning, before racing on in their futuristic vehicles, which are powered solely by the sun.
Transcript
00:00 I'm here at Traeger Park in Alice Springs, which has been buzzing with activity this
00:05 morning.
00:06 31 teams are expected to race through here throughout the day on their way down to Adelaide.
00:12 And it's all part of a five-day competition covering 3,000 kilometers, racing in cars
00:17 powered entirely by the sun.
00:20 Now the first team to take off today was the Enoptis Solar Team from Belgium.
00:24 They're the defending champions and they hope to score another win this year.
00:30 But following closely behind was Team 20 and the Brunel Solar Team, both from the Netherlands.
00:36 Now the pilots are racing in vehicles which have been meticulously designed by teams of
00:41 engineers over many months.
00:43 And the whole goal has been to build the most innovative and efficient solar cars possible.
00:48 So it really has been a glimpse into the future here in Alice Springs today.
00:52 Right, and what sort of conditions are the competitors facing, Charmaine?
00:58 Well I mean the main challenge at the moment is the heat.
01:01 Air temperatures have been reaching up to 40 degrees.
01:04 And in the tiny cockpits of these cars it can get up to 60 degrees Celsius.
01:09 Now the Enoptis Solar Team told us that to prepare for this they had their pilots undergo
01:13 sauna sessions, where they had to play video games while in oppressive heat to help them
01:19 prepare for what this race could be like.
01:22 But in addition to the heat there's also been bushfires.
01:25 Some teams say the fires have been burning close to the road and they've had to keep
01:28 a close eye on them to ensure that they're not endangering the pilots.
01:33 There's also been significant smoke haze in the air which has made it difficult for these
01:36 cars to charge fully.
01:39 And then of course there's the challenges of batteries or motors overheating, as well
01:44 as mechanical issues and parts of the cars shaking loose on these rough roads.
01:49 So certainly a lot of challenges for these teams before they make it to Adelaide on Friday.
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