The University of Queensland's winning SunShark team returns to Brisbane today, Wednesday, August 6 afterSunShark won its class and was fifth overall among 80 entries at the World Solar-Car Rally in Akita, Japan, from August 1 to 3.
The SunShark completed a total of 35 laps of the Ogata-Mura racetrack to claim the stock class for solar cars with commercial grade lead-acid batteries and solar cells.
The team overcame pre-race motor problems and a minor electrical fault on the final day of racing to prove more than competitive against vehicles representing some of Japan's biggest corporations.
The SunShark , the only non-Japanese entry in the race, recorded an overall average speed of slightly over 47km/h, completing 12 laps on the each of the first two days of competition , and 11 laps on the final day.
The result was a repeat of the SunShark's effort in last year's Darwin-to-Adelaide World Solar Car Challenge.
Second in the stock class was Team Jona Sun with a total of 31 laps, ahead of Kira Kira Fighter III which was a lap behind in third.
First overall was Club Nakayoshi (free class), with a total of 40 laps and an average speed of around 50km. It was two laps ahead of second-placed Osu model S, while Mitsubishi Sun Challenger was a further lap behind in third.
SunShark team spokesman Stephen Goodwin said cloudy weather at times had turned the rally into ' a battery race of sorts', with the vehicle's distinctive aerofoil shape again providing an important advantage.
'Strategy also had a lot to do with performance, with the teams who went out hard at the start finding it hard to cope at the end of the day when all their power dried up,' he said.
He said the team had been given enormous support by the Japanese teams and spectators, with driver Caroline Airey finding herself in the middle of a huge crowd and popping champagne corks at the finish of the race.
For further information contact the University of Queensland solar racing team, telephone 07 3365 3771; fax 07 3365 4999, Stephen Goodwin at 015 809 936 or visit the SunShark World Wide Web site - http://www.uq.edu.au/~zzmrobin/sunshark/
