Day two saw North West University, University of Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, University of KwaZulu Natal and EV Drive start alongside the two Japanese teams for the second leg of the Sasol Solar Challenge. The second leg stretched from Vryburg in the North West province to Upington in the Northern Cape.

 

It did not take long for the two Japanese teams to further wield their dominance as it was clear at the halfway point that no one was going to catch the world champions, Tokai University.

 

The South African teams looked to have sorted out the teething problems experienced in the first leg of the race as we saw many of the teams covering longer distances yesterday than on day one.

 

Consistency seems to be the order of the day for the North West University as the team picked up from where they left off in the first leg of the race. The team maintained a steady pace which saw them safely arrive at the finishing point for day two.

 

The highlight of the day was when South African teams, University of Johannesburg, University of KwaZulu Natal and North West University arrive at the stop over point before the cut off time. This is a vast improvement from the first leg of the race, as at the end of day one, none of the South African teams made it to the finishing point on their wheels. This can only bid well for the rest of the race as teams are now starting to familiarise themselves with running their cars on the road.

 

Upington is one of the more significant stops along the route as the town is said to be one that gets the most sunshine in a year.

 

Today the teams make their way on a 350km journey from Upington to Springbok. As the race starts to gain momentum, we hope to see many more of the teams make it across the finish line on their wheels.

 

Follow the Sasol Solar Challenge on Twitter, using the handle, @solar_challenge. Like us on www.facebook.com/sasolarchallenge and visit us at www.sasolarchallenge.co.za

 

Ends