Ireland's first solar powered race car completed its first race this year.
The iLumen European Solar Challenge (osclaítear i gcluaisín nua é) is Europe's Largest solar car race. The race is held at the historic Circuit Zolder in Belgium, a former home of F1 races. This year was the 10th edition of the race.
This is a le mans style race where teams race for 24 hours through the night into the next day. This is the ultimate test for strategy, efficiency and energy management.
Teams have to pass two days of scrutineering to qualify for the race.
The first day: Static Scrutineering. Cars have the safety of their mechanical and electrical systems tested. All the schematics, validation testing and designs are certified by scrutineers. The car also performs a brake test to validate the performance and safety of the brakes.
The second day: Dynamic Scrutineering. The car performs a slalom test to showcase manoeuvrability on track. The car then completes a hot lap to decide its position on the starting grid the next day.
We completed 159 laps through the 24 hours. This is 639 km, through chicanes, hills and tight corners on an F1 track.
This race meant more than just 24 hours on the track to us, it was the culmination of the four years of hard work that led to that moment.
The race finish was not just for the 22 team members, it was for everyone who ever supported us, it was for our sponsors, it was for DCU and for our entire country.
What we achieved just shows how much potential young people in Ireland have and how excited we are for what the future holds. We want Irish engineering to push what sustainable technology can do and help usher in a green future!
