Harlem students Kiss, Teigen and Bashtyan, who are participating in the Solar Race World Championships in Australia, suffer from forest fires. This makes their participation and the battle for first place much more difficult.
Australia is currently experiencing forest fires. Participation in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge falls in the middle of the so-called wildfire season.
The three Harlem students had to cancel a test day a week ago due to a forest fire in the area. The Brunel Solar Team’s race did not have to be stopped today, but bushfires along the route made their participation more difficult.
Flames in the distance
It was a great experience for the people of Harlem and their colleagues. “Smoke on our trips is not unusual, but this time the smoke was very close together,” says driver Kees Brock. “We noticed the smoke when we were still several kilometers away, and it started to obscure my vision.” Suddenly he saw a bag of flames in the distance. “It was an intense experience to see this up close.”
To ensure the safety of participants, the team was in constant contact with the event organizer. In addition, there are some Safety officers Who ride along the route and monitor the participants.
Second place in the race
The students started the first day of racing on the track, which has a total length of 3,000 kilometers, at exactly eight o’clock in the morning local time this morning. On the first day of the World Championship, the team covered a distance of 740 kilometers. This puts them in second place, only ahead of the Belgian team.
The southern neighbors are 22 kilometers ahead. This provides opportunities for the team of Kiss, Teigen and Bashtian. “We are currently in second place, which is positive,” says strategist Bastian Gallenkamp. “But we have to do our best to reach first place.”
