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After an evening of drizzle in Canberra we were unsure whether today's racing would go ahead, but when we woke up it was no longer raining, although there was still heavy cloud cover. We tilted our array towards what sunshine made it through the clouds as hot air balloons floated past. Meanwhile some team members caught up with a bit of much needed sleep.
As the race start drew closer the sun started to break through the clouds, but the conditions ahead were less certain. Both UNSW Sunswift II and Aurora crawled away from the start and through Canberra as the Chisolm Institute's electric vehicle overtook us. Passing through the city centre we pulled what was perhaps the most painfully slow passing manoeuvre ever on Aurora, and for some time the two cars drove side by side, dragging each other off at each set of traffic lights. Eventually we were instructed to fall in behind Aurora, and we followed them out of the city.
We started off at a slow pace, ensuring that we would complete the stage in case the weather closed in later on. Aurora had the same plan, and the two teams pulled into the first control stop having averaged barely more than 50km/h. As we left the stop it wasn't long before we had caught up with and passed Aurora moving very slowly. Through the stage we gradually ramped up our speed as we became more confident that our battery pack would last. At the end of the stage a long downhill run allowed us to store some energy using regenerative braking.
The final stage of the race from Pheasant's Nest to the end of timing was fairly short, and we picked up our pace to sprint to the line. We followed the motorway in, stopping to pay the toll for all three cars including the solar car. After we left the motorway we were picked up by a police escort which led us to the finish line at Olympic Park.
As we were flagged through the finish line a swarm of TV cameras crowded around the car and our driver Eddie Hope. Aurora and the other competing vehicles arrived, not long afterwards. Throughout the rest of the afternoon fans of the Sydney Swans (who were playing Aussie rules football at Stadium Australia) and the Rolling Stones (who were playing a concert at the Superdome) stopped to have a look at the cars. Eventually we packed up and headed back to our workshop to unpack the vehicles.
That evening most of the team met up with the Aurora team in at The Rocks for drinks and celebrations. It was a slow start, with the Aurora guys apparently getting lost along the way, but when we moved on from the Lord Nelson to the Australian Hotel we picked up the majority of the two teams. Professor Ian Bates, Aurora's academic supervisor and trailer driver, was reported to have had quite a night on the dancefloor.
Willy The Whale
Willy!
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