Defending champs edge ahead in World Solar Challenge

Defending Belgian champion Innoptus is on track early to secure a third consecutive win in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, edging ahead of their rivals after day two of the 3,000-kilometre race across the Australian Outback.

August 26, 2025 David Carroll

Image: Innoptus

Belgium’s Innoptus Solar Team, from the University of Leuven, has finished in top spot after the second day of the 3,000 km World Solar Challenge car race from Darwin to Adelaide, clocking speeds above 92 km/h to inch ahead of Dutch rivals Brunel Solar Team and Solar Team Twente.

One of 29 teams competing in the Challenger class, Innoptus’ solar racing car Infinite Apollo started the day at Dunmarra in third but after completing control stops at Tennant Creek and Barrow Creek, pulled up just before Alice Springs in first place, almost 1,500 km from the start line.

Brunel, from the Netherlands’ Delft University of Technology, was a close second with the University of Twente team in third.

Team Sonnenwagen Aachen from Germany was fourth with the United States’ University of Michigan solar team in fifth place.

The team from Western Sydney University was the best of the Australian teams, finishing the second day in eighth place after achieving an average speed of 83.1 km/h.

In the Cruiser class, the Solaride team from Estonia’s University of Tartu headed the standings with Hong Kong team VTC second and Tawian’s Apollo third.

The 2025 instalment of the World Solar Challenge has attracted 34 teams from 17 countries.

The event continues until 31 August, giving teams just over a week to complete the 3,000 km trek through the heart of Australia’s red centre and down to Adelaide.

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