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26 September 2012
The stop over point in East London was used to separate the vehicles as the next stage of the race entailed two separate routes leading to Pietermaritzburg.
The slower cars would take the shorter route which would see them leave East London and head to their overnight stop in Kokstad and the faster teams would take the longer route that would see them go to Bloemfontein and around Lesotho to get to Pietermaritzburg.
The UKZN team is currently in second place, behind the 2011 World Solar Challenge Champions, Tokai University.
The trip from East London to Bloemfontein was a difficult one for the teams due to the distance that they would have to cover along the N6. However, as the
teams moved up the N6 and past Aliwal North, the constant roadworks and detours along the route made the trip up to Bloemfontein that much harder for all the teams.
According to Mohammed Mahomedy, a final year Mechanical Engineering student at UKZN, the Sasol Solar Challenge is the realisation of a dream for their team. The team spent a year working on their car and for them to be in second place currently, means that the project is a success for them. Mahomedy is also a Sasol bursar and added, that for him, the highlight of the solar challenge is the real life application of the theory that they learnt at university.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity, as this has also been an experience of a lifetime for me. This experience has really made me look forward to the
working environment,” he said.
This phenomenal achievement from the UKZN team can only build well for them going forward. With the experience they gain at this race, the team will put up a stronger challenge in races to come and could prove to be one of South Africa’s strongest solar teams.
Follow the Sasol Solar Challenge on Twitter, using the handle, @solar_challenge.
Like us on
www.facebook.com/sasolarchallenge and visit us at
www.sasolarchallenge.co.za
Check out the YouTube clip of race day seven at http://youtu.be/_Ls4lczFLmo
Ends
| Starting |
|
TEAM |
|
Class |
|
Total |
| 4 |
|
North West University |
|
Olympia |
|
802.4 |
| 6 |
|
University of Johannesburg |
|
Olympia |
|
608.0 |
| 10 |
|
Tshwane University of Technology |
|
Olympia |
|
143.1 |
| 12 |
|
German School, Johannesburg |
|
Olympia |
|
- |
| 13 |
|
WITS University |
|
Olympia |
|
17.9 |
| 1 |
|
Tokai University |
|
Challenge |
|
3'346.0 |
| 8 |
|
Nelson Mandela Metropolition University |
|
Technology
Demo |
|
235.0 |
| 3 |
|
University of Kwazulu Natal |
|
Challenge |
|
1'493.0 |
| 2 |
|
Kenjiro Shinozuka |
|
Adventure |
|
3'315.0 |
| 7 |
|
EV Drive |
|
Technology
Demo |
|
337.0 |
| 9 |
|
University of Johannesburg (H2 Hybrid) |
|
Technology
Demo |
|
366.2 |
| 5 |
|
University of Johannesburg (Gas Turbine Hybrid) |
|
Technology
Demo |
|
964.2 |
| 11 |
|
WITS University (Bike) |
|
Technology
Demo |
|
111.7 |
| 14 |
|
Delhi Technological University |
|
Technology
Demo |
|
23.0 |
 |
| Team Tokai of Tokai University during stage 7 of the 2012 Sasol
Solar Challenge that started in East London and ended in Bloemfontein on
24 September 2012 |
 |
| The solar powered car of Team Shinozuka passes of the Herzof bridge
in Aliwal North during stage 7 of the 2012 Sasol Solar Challenge |
 |
| Team UKZN (University of Kwa Zulu Natal) on the road to Bloemfontein
during stage 7 of the 2012 Sasol Solar Challenge that started in East
London and ended in Bloemfontein on 24 September 2012 |
|
