2011 saw Durham make its first foray into the world’s premier solar race, the World Solar Challenge. The Australian Outback presented some unique challenges to the teams involved, including blistering temperatures, lightning storms, challenging terrain and even bush fires.
In qualifying, the car performed strongly, finishing in the top 10. Unfortunately once on the road, the car, DUSC2011, encountered cracking on its highly fragile solar cells due to the intense heat. Despite these issues, the team continued to run at an average speed of 80 km/h, reaching Adelaide in just 7 days. Read more about the 2011 WSC here.