Belgium’s Innoptus Solar team has won the 2024 Sasol Solar Challenge title in South Africa, breaking the daily distance record twice in a row during the competition.
The students from the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) outpaced teams from Twente and Delft, fulfilling their role as favourites.
On the final race day, Friday, a challenging mountain stage to Cape Town was scheduled. The top three teams each completed two additional loops, leaving the final score unchanged. Leuven ultimately claimed victory with a 57-kilometre lead over Twente and a lead of more than 100-kilometre over Delft.
This was the second participation of KU Leuven’s solar team in the gruelling eight-day challenge. In their first attempt in 2022, the students finished second behind Delft.
Following their world championship victory in Australia last October, the Belgian team was among the favourites for this year’s Sasol Solar Challenge.
Fourteen teams competed in the event.
