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Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2025
The solar cars of the Innoptus Solar Team are a perfect example of what is possible with renewable energy, innovative techniques, and a dedicated team. A mission that we at Axxes can fully identify with. Since 2020, we have been proud to support the Solar Team as a sponsor. In 2023, they became world champions, and last year they won the Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa. To lead the team to victory, Axxes' IT consultants developed a navigation app.
This summer, they will travel to Australia for the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC), the world's most famous race for solar cars. In this biennial road race, their car will travel 3,021 kilometers through the Australian outback, from Darwin to Adelaide. The BWSC is all about maximum energy efficiency, smart strategy, and flawless reliability. After three years with “Infinite,” the team is refining its approach and technology. With the new “Infinite Apollo,” they are resolutely aiming to extend their world title. Follow all the updates and their daily progress here!
28/08: LAST DAY
The Belgian Innoptus Solar Team from KU Leuven finished third in Adelaide at the world championship for solar car racing, the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. After five days and 3,021 kilometres through the Australian Outback, a race that remained exciting until the very last metre came to an end.
The students started the race from a difficult position: a disappointing qualifying round pushed them to 16th place on the starting grid. However, with strong teamwork and an impressive comeback, they quickly climbed to the top, even reaching second place, just behind the leaders. Along the way, they had to deal with setbacks, such as a blowout, but each time they fought their way back into the race.
On the last day, however, the Belgians were hit by bad weather. Because the sun was not shining as strongly as expected, they decided to stop for half an hour longer in the morning to recharge their battery. That choice cost them their second place: the team from Twente was able to overtake them during that stop. Despite a fierce battle to the finish, third place remained the highest achievable.
The battle at the front was incredibly exciting: the top three teams finished within half an hour of each other, which is rare in this race. For the Belgians, this meant that they were unable to retain their world title after two consecutive victories, but their performance proves once again that they are among the absolute best in the world.
27/08: DAY 4
The team started the day in third place after suffering bad luck with a blowout yesterday, but managed to climb back up to second place thanks to strong teamwork. At the first stop, they were just behind the team from Twente, which they quickly overtook. From then on, the chase for the leader from Delft began. Despite heavy rain, strong winds and extra obstacles on the road, their solar car, the Infinite Apollo, held up well. At the end of the day, the Belgians are barely 3 km behind Delft. Twente was unable to keep up the pace and is currently 11 km behind.
With 236 km to go to the finish in Adelaide, tomorrow will be incredibly exciting. After almost 2800 km of racing, the difference between the top teams is minimal, so every second counts. The Belgians and the Dutch will push their cars and batteries to the limit to be the first to cross the finish line. Twente is a little behind, but is not completely out of the race yet. Everything points to a nerve-racking final sprint in which stamina, smart driving and a little luck will make the difference.
26/08: DAY 3
The Innoptus Solar Team started day three of the World Cup solar car race strongly from second place, just a few seconds behind leader Delft, but suffered a blowout during the race, causing it to fall back to third place behind Twente during a pit stop. Despite this loss of time, the Leuven students managed to catch up with their closest competitors again by the end of the day.
The conditions made racing particularly challenging: for the first time, the teams had to contend with heavy cloud cover and unpredictable winds, which constantly affected their strategy. The Leuven team responded by making clever use of the brief sunny moments and deploying their fin, which helps to limit energy consumption in crosswinds thanks to a “sailing effect”. With around 900 kilometres to go to Adelaide, the three leaders are less than eight minutes apart, making the battle for the world title more exciting than ever.
25/08: DAY 2
After today, the team is in second place. Yesterday, the Belgians already impressed with a strong comeback, and today they started from third place. After an exciting battle with the team from Twente, they ultimately finished just behind the leaders from Delft. Their solar car, the Infinite Apollo, drove an almost flawless course. Only a brief stop to check an electronic component caused some tension, but they were back on the road within three minutes.
The race is now halfway through and the gap to the leaders is still very small, which makes it extra exciting. Tomorrow, a difficult stage awaits towards Coober Pedy, a notorious passage through unpredictable weather and strong crosswinds. There, the students want to make full use of their double fin, which provides extra stability and reduces energy consumption. It promises to be an important moment in their battle for the world title.
24/08: DAY 1
The Innoptus Solar Team from KU Leuven has made a strong start at the World Solar Challenge in Australia. Yesterday’s qualification round didn’t go as planned, leaving them to start from 16th place today. Still, the students impressed with a powerful comeback. Their car, the Infinite Apollo, drove smoothly through the Australian Outback, and thanks to the sunny weather, they were able to store plenty of energy. After covering more than 700 kilometers, the team quickly climbed up to third place in the standings.
The students are very pleased with this result. They had to overtake many competitors, but their preparation and teamwork clearly paid off. Ahead of them are mainly the Dutch teams from Delft and Twente, both known for their strong performances. The coming days promise to be exciting. The Belgian team is determined to give it their all and reach the finish line in Adelaide first on Thursday, hoping to extend their world title.
23/08: Qualifying Round
Today, the Innoptus Solar Team competed in the qualifying round of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia with their solar car, Infinite Apollo. On the Hidden Valley Circuit, the students set a time of 2m19.62s, securing the 16th starting position. Tomorrow at 8:08 a.m. local time, they will begin their journey of more than 3,000 kilometers through the Outback, starting with an eight-minute gap behind the leading German team from Aachen.
19/08: Scrutineering
This morning, the technical inspection (scrutineering) was on the agenda. The Infinite Apollo was thoroughly screened and checked, and all checks went smoothly. Around noon, they got the green light from the organization: the solar car complies with all the rules!
Tomorrow, a final training session with the entire team is scheduled. Over the next few days, they will practice the most important protocols. Saturday is the qualifying round. Exciting! Because that will determine their starting position on Sunday!
