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, it was found that the car, DUSC2011, had encountered cracking on its highly fragile solar cells. Despite these issues, the team persevered, reaching Adelaide in just 7 days. Read more about the WSC here.