As we moved steadily south towards Adelaide the
temperature slowly dropped. Friday morning was a struggle to get up and out of
our sleeping bags with an outside temperature of about 10°C! But with our last
night of camping behind us, and the last day of the race before us we all
crawled out of bed and got started to our respective morning jobs.
8am we hit the road raring to go, with no need
to worry about draining the solar car battery, and 2 teams in front of us we
had hopes to catch up to, we averaged a speed between 80-90 km/h. We soon left
the peaceful small town road and scenery behind us and hit Adelaide traffic
with no other teams in sight - likely also having pushed their cars to the max.
We finished the race though! Over 3000 km
through the Australian outback, the car (and team) have successfully completed
the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge as a first time entrant! Wow was the team
happy when we crossed that finish line! An absolutely incredible feeling!
After having some photos the car was pulled
forward so that the battery pack could be checked for tampering, and then the
car was moved to the viewing tent where the public could ooh and aah over the
amazing Hulamin! Soon thereafter the exhausted team split up to head to our
Adelaide accommodation for a well-earned hot shower and sleep in a proper bed!
This has been a hard yet exhilarating journey,
but it has come to an end. Cheers, Minke
A portion of the team was up into the wee hours
of this morning working on the car (which was successfully repaired), and so a
5 am wake up saw some exceptionally tired faces. As we had officially stopped
at the Coober Pedy control stop, a portion of the team took the car back there
for the morning sunning session while the rest of the team worked on packing up
the camp site – goodbye amazing showers!
Back on the road at 8 am saw a (mostly) smooth
day’s travelling! Again we passed through two control stops the first at Glendambo
(2432 km into the race) and the second at Port Augusta (2719 km into the race).
Between the two control stops we had a blowout, which Fiona, the solar car driver
at the time, handled very well, safely maneuvering to the side of the road
where the team quickly did a wheel change. Back on the road and all was good
until the wind picked up and it became a constant battle to keep the car on the
straight and narrow.
Once again the 5 pm cutoff was quickly
approaching and the team needed somewhere to pull-off and bed down for the
night. We ended up pulling over onto the verge of a privately owned race track
where the team got to sunning the car while a few members tried to contact the
owner. We were graciously allowed to camp within the race track grounds which
afforded us a beautiful flat camping spot and toilets – free of charge! Thank
you!
With only another 300 km left of the race to
go, and other teams camping a mere 20 km down the road, the team was
surprisingly relaxed. There was minimal work to be done on the car besides
check everything was in good working order and get as much sleep as possible.
Tomorrow we will finish the race in Adelaide,
stay tuned! Minke
After a rough and windy night the team crawled
out of bed and got to work. At this stage of the race the many late nights and
early mornings are catching up and people are exhausted, but everyone knows
their role and once personal business is attended to we all hop to it.
Getting the car into position - protecting those wheels from the fierce thorns we camped with last night!
We're on the road again!
The first control stop of the day was at Kulgera
1756 km into the race, which is 30 km away from the state border between South
Australia and the Northern Territory (1786 km into the race).
Midway between the Kulgera and Coober Pedy
control stops the car pulled over to change drivers. Unfortunately as the car
pulled onto the unpaved shoulder of the road a tyre popped. A quick tyre change
later and the car was back on the road! About 40 km from the control stop at Coober
Pedy Kirsty, the solar car driver at the time, started experiencing trouble
with the steering. She managed to get safely to the control stop at Coober Pedy
but once the team lifted the top shell they discovered that the damage was
quite serious – sections of the steering and suspension would need to be
replaced. As a result of this the team could not continue driving until 5 pm
(only 30-minutes worth of driving after the 30-minute control stop) and so we
found ourselves a campsite (with showers – hooray!) for the night. At the end
of day 4 of the race the team had travelled 2178 km by solar, and that is
pretty fantastic!
Sunning next to North West University.
Investigating the problem.
Hold thumbs that repairs go well and we are
full steam ahead tomorrow morning! Minke
Since we were sharing our rest stop with some
other campers, blasting an early morning musical wake-up was a no-go, but Saien
did sing us awake just after 5 am. Slowly the camp stirred to life, and then began
breaking down – literally, not emotionally. After an amazing breakfast of
scrambled eggs, sausage and breakfast muffins the final boxes, buckets, and
bits were packed and we hit the road.
Camp break down.
Being in a support car we are able to stop as
we please, as long as we do not fall too far behind the group. Along the days drive
we passed some interesting areas, the first being Devils Marbles. Devils
Marbles is a Conservation Reserve and the attraction are huge, mostly round,
boulders loosely clumped together in the middle of nowhere.
Not too far after the day started the team
entered the first control stop of the day at Barrow Creek 1211 km into the
race. That went well and 30 minutes later the team was back on the road.
Another interesting stop for me was at the Tropic of Capricorn 1464 km into the
race.
Driving over the Tropic of Capricorn.
The team passed through another control stop
later in the day at Alice Springs after 1496 km, and we stopped to top up on
groceries. As the team carried on there was increasing concern about the
weather we were driving into. Dark ominous clouds, rain, and red tinged clouds suggesting
a wind storm sparked a heated debate about whether to stop early for the night or
push on. Rain or a wind storm is not good at all for the solar panels, and
unfortunately man cannot control the weather, and oft times not accurately
predict it. The debate culminated in the car stopping early and quickly on the
side of the road. Although the site was chosen purely as it was the next
available clear road shoulder for the solar car to stop on, it had a nice clear
area for us to set up camp. We did end up with a few spots of rain, and heavy
wind but thankfully at the campsite we managed to miss the dust storm. We are all hoping for clear skies tomorrow to charge up the solar panels! Minke
Ah nothing like some Johnny Clegg to wake up to
in the morning! At 5 am our ‘alarm’ starting blasting (yay for Bluetooth car
speakers) and woke most of us up with a smile. You would think that 3 hours to
break camp is reasonable, but everyone could have done with more time – and a
shower! Many people were stumbling around in the predawn darkness, heading off
to find a suitable bush with the morning paper to take care of business. Part
of the team lent a hand to get the many tents down, cars packed, waterbottles
filled, while others were dealing with getting the car into a prime sunning
spot, and other car related activities. Since we stopped at 17h03 last night we
had a time penalty and were only allowed to leave at 08h03, but as there was
the last minute run around back and forth trying to finalise the car for day 2
of the race.
Sunning the car this morning.
Once again on the road, we silently cruised
along varying speeds between 60 and 80 km/h. We went through 2 mandatory
control stops, the first at Dunmarra which was 663 km into the race, and the
second at Tennant Creek which was 988 km into the race. After going through the
second control stop time was steadily marching to the 5 pm pull off, when
something went wrong with the solar car. Although it was, thankfully, a short
and easy repair it was enough time for North West University to pass us. UKZN
and NWU have been jostling back and forth for position ever since the race
started, but there are many more days to final reckoning!
Cruising along in the heat of the day!
Getting ready to lie the car on its side.
Cooling the panels.
Emergency pull over for repairs.
Once again with 5 pm approaching we needed to
find a campsite. Most fortuitously there was a rest stop ahead which we pulled
into at exactly 5 pm. This definitely raised everyone’s spirits as there was
(most importantly to some) a good sunny spot to sun the car to recharge the
batteries and (most importantly to others) a borehole water tank for a
semblance of a shower, a good camping spot, and a braai place! Win all round!
Again we split into groups, some dealing with the car and others dealing with
setting up the campsite.
Sunset over our campsite.
With the light receding everyone turned on
their headlamps, and we made a discovery. All over the ground there were tiny
reflective eyes looking back at us – spiders! We also caught a fairly large
individual stealthily creeping its way up one of the storage crate. Being in
Australia where most species are poisonous everyone was suddenly spurred to
keep their eyes open and to be careful opening and closing the tent.
Hopefully we all wake up hale and hearty
tomorrow! Minke
Well what a day what a day! The race has begun!
Adelaide here we come!!
Everyone was late to bed and early to rise
again – everyone is quite sleep deprived and running on adrenaline and
excitement. Even with the car packed there was the usual last minute run around
trying to organize the solar car as well as personal luggage and camping
equipment. For this race, besides the solar car Hulamin, we have 6 support cars
to transport 20 UKZN team members (and one race official that accompanies us)
and all the associated personal luggage, camping equipment, and food – not to
mention a variety of spare parts and tools needed to keep Hulamin running as
optimally as possible.
As per the time trials done on Saturday,
Hulamin was 24th out of 43 entrants off the starting block, but
technical difficulties resulted in us being a few cars behind that intended
position. The race started from Parliament Square, and I was very impressed
with how officials managed to streamline the start. Rules of the race include
that the solar car needs to be bracketed by a lead and follow vehicle at all
times, so imagine trying to get 129 vehicles on the road in as short a time as
possible, because time lost at the start is time never gained back. It was also
a very festive mood at Parliament Square as people gathered to watch the start
of the race. There was lots of cheering, and lots of photographs taken – it was
a time to be able to see all the cars that had entered the race at one time.
Our car started and then I was the one doing all the cheering – it is so
exciting and such a privilege to be part of this!
The next few hours on the road were rather
mundane for me, sitting in my allotted car following a few cars behind the
solar car. But for the lead and follow vehicles and definitely Hulamin and its
driver it was an intense time - overtaking other (slower) solar cars, dealing
with long road trains that buffet the lightweight solar car as they come
speeding past, general crosswinds, and managing the solar car at a speed that
optimizes car performance.
Each car is equipped with a citizen band (cb) radio,
and this became quite important as cellphone reception was patchy, even on our
first day of travel. After 322 km on the road there was a mandatory control
stop for the lead and follow vehicles and Hulamin. This stop was used to swap
drivers (there are four team members who will alternate driving Hulamin), to
angle to top shell to the sun, and to spray water on the panels to cool them
down. An important rule at any stage of the race when the car has stopped and
is being sunned is do not shade the solar panels – ever!
At the end of the 30-minute stop it was a race
to get back into the cars and go go go! Once back on the road we had another
few hours of driving before the 5 pm cutoff approached. At this stage everyone
was getting very anxious to find a campsite for the night. We have to pull at
least 10 m off the road and that is a huge challenge with the road side terrain
and vegetation. A few minutes past 5 pm we came across a pull off spot – both on
the left and right hand side of the road there was an area that had had the
grass chopped. When the car stopped a large portion of the team leaped into
frantic action setting up the solar car to catch the last few rays of sun, and
doing various other car related jobs. I went to inspect the potential campsites
on either side of the road with a few others. We decided on a spot and got to
work setting up tents and getting supper on the road.
Catching the last rays of sunshine!
Convoy has arrived.
Organised chaos!
Our accommodation for the evening.
As the sun dipped below the horizon and the light
faded the most brilliant stars became visible and you start to realise exactly
how remote our location is – even more so when you have to break a trail
through long grass to do a bush pee! And then headlamps get turned on, and the
generator gets turned on and our camp is lit up like central Durban, noise
included! With the loss of the sun we had hoped that the temperature would
drop, but not a chance, we were all still hot and sweaty with no chance of a
shower in the bush when we climbed into bed at varying stages through the
night.
Everyone was really pleased with how the first
day has gone, so excited to see what tomorrow brings! Minke
Saturday was another big day for the UKZN solar
car team, with dynamic scrutineering taking place. Dynamic scrutineering involved
testing the car’s driven performance. We were a little unclear on exactly what
time slot we had been given, and so most of the team were at Hidden Valley
early Saturday morning to prepare the car for 8 am dynamic scrutineering if we,
keeping with Tuesday’s static scrutineering, were first.
Exciting times at Hidden Valley!
A delicate balance
exists between using the time available between testing and before the race to
improve and finalise all aspects of the car, and not making changes that are
not so big that they cannot be finalized. Saturday morning the team was testing
the solar panels and seeing how they reacted to the first morning rays of sun,
and as it rose. Luckily for us, we were not the first team to undergo dynamic
scrutineering, we were in fact allowed to join the queue of cars waiting their
turn at our leisure, as long as it was before 11am. Another aspect of
pre-driving car preparation I had yet to see was the torqueing of the
suspension. The body of the car was simultaneously pressed down on both front
wheels a few times to settle the suspension, and then a graduated dowl was held
against the wheel, and the body of the car either moved up or down to align
with their chosen optimum suspension height.
As fate would have it, just as Shuvay (our
driver for the scrutineering) climbed into the car and we prepared to join the
line, the magnetic seal on the canopy over the driver had failed. So commenced
a quick canopy change, but by the time we joined the queue there were quite a
few cars lined up so we had a long wait in the hot sun. On a side note I need
to express how hot it is here. We think, as Durbanites, that we know heat and
humidity on a fairly intimate level – Durban can get quite hot and humid that’s
for sure! But Darwin, Australia, is HOT! But I suppose it is not so much the
heat that is the problem but the humidity. And Darwin, Australia, is HUMID! So
by the time we were getting to the front of the queue all life and enthusiasm
had been sweated out of our bodies, mostly. We were all standing a bit limply
in the (almost) noonday sun but sent our car off with a good cheer and much
vuvuzela-blowing!
About to enter the queue for dynamic scrutineering - keeping the driver cool!
It's hot out there - find shade where you can!
Go team!
And they're off - go Shuvay!
Dynamic scrutineering involved a few aspects:
Two track laps – the first lap was an untimed
lap to get the drivers in the zone, and the second was a timed lap which would
determine in which order the cars were released onto the road on Sunday morning
at the start of the race.
Turning circle – as the name suggests, here the
car needed to demonstrate that it could turn in a tight enough circle to be
released onto public roads.
Emergency stop – again, as the name suggests,
the car had to get up to a certain speed (35 km/h) and at the officials mark
stop within a certain distance.
The timed lap went well, we completed it in just over 2
minutes. There is not much for me to say about the turning
circle other than we made it! The emergency stop was pretty awesome. There were
some mild concerns about the stopping power of the break system as they had not
very long before been pulled wider to prevent scrubbing on the wheels, but we
did better than expected! The car needed to be going at 35 km/h before
performing the emergency stop, we were travelling at 45 km/h and still stopped
well within the allotted distance, go team!
Dynamic scrutineering over the rest of the day
was spent organizing boxes and packing vehicles – a job that took well into the
night!
Hold thumbs for the start of the race tomorrow! Minke
