Photo of the Sikat II crew at the finish line, taken from the Team Solar Philippines Facebook page
Philippine solar car Sikat II placed third in the 2013 World Solar Challenge (WSC) Adventure class in Australia, Jingo Badillo, the Philippine Solar Team’s media officer, announced Saturday.
The win was confirmed through La Salle’s public relations contact Donna Manyo as announced by Badillo, saying in an SMS to GMA News Online: ”We placed third. Confirmed.”
Sikat II crossed the finish line in Adelaide, southern Australia at 1:53 PM Philippine time on Friday, completing the 3,021-kilometer race across the Australian Outback.
Sikat II departed Darwin, northern Australia on October 6, starting the race at the front of the pack. A core group of 20 mechanical and electrical engineering students and six faculty members from De La Salle University modified and improved on the 2011 Sikat II car in a period of seven months to make it race-ready for WSC 2013.
“The solar car race is not just about speed but also about the efficient use of power. The aim is to reach the destination at the fastest time while maximizing the power of the sun,” said Jingo Badillo, the Philippine Solar Team’s media officer.
The race kicked off in Darwin on October 6 and finished in Adelaide on October 11. Everyday, each team starts at 8:00 AM and stops in the afternoon.
Sikat II competed with four other solar cars in the Adventure class.
Each solar car is accompanied by four more cars. Each vehicle has a main driver and a secondary driver on shifting schedules.
Sikat II has two primary drivers and two back-up drivers. A scout vehicle leads the party and is followed by a lead vehicle which guides the solar car on the road conditions.
Behind Sikat II is a vehicle that carries the communication equipment where a team directs the strategy to be followed based on gathered data on weather conditions, telemetry, and the like. At the tail of the convoy is a trailer vehicle for the team.
“The race proper is very rigorous because of the long distance and the environment. The Australian Outback weather is very hot but it can get rainy or cloudy and these affect the condition and performance of the car,” Badillo said.
The team camps out at the side of the desert road wherever the solar car stops at the end of each racing day.
The team wakes up before sunrise to charge the solar array – the solar panels converting sunlight to electricity – and prepares the car in time for the start of the race at 8:00 AM.
Sikat II competed with national champions like the Intikallpa 2 built by the Antakari team from Chile and the Tushka Hashi by the Mississippi Choctaw High School. – KDM/TJD, GMA News
SOURCE(S): http://ph.news.yahoo.com/sikat-ii-finishes-third-2013-world-solar-challenge-111340237.html
http://thelasallian.com/2013/10/13/press-release-sikat-ii-bags-3rd-place-in-world-solar-challenge/
Kagayanon Technowiz 