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Day three wrap-up
The first full day of racing was in full swing today, with a steady stream of teams taking to the track. 82 out of 117 teams had passed their technical inspection at lunchtime, with others still underway.
“We’ve seen much stronger, more elaborate body designs this year,” said Norman Koch, Global Technical Director, Shell Eco-marathon Asia. “As well as far fewer breakdowns on track compared to last year. So, it feels like the teams are stepping up their efforts.”
Teething problems
Out in the paddocks, the students also feel that the standard has been raised; many of them report problems with their brakes. “We haven’t even been out yet – we’ve had a minor issue with our brakes,” says Raffey Bin Hussian from the Nust-PNEC (4) team in Pakistan. “Nearly resolved now, so we’re eager to get out there and join the race.”
PSP Thunder (403) from Malaysia have also had trouble getting their brakes right. “It’s our first time at this event, as we normally enter go-kart competitions,” says team lead Bin Md Afirin. “The technical inspections here are much stricter than what we are used to! But it’s been a great learning curve for us.”
Team 404 from Singapore with their solar powered car
Keep on keeping on
The paddocks are a frenzy of activity as teams fix any issues on their cars, eager to get back out to the track. “We’ve raced twice and are coming 2nd in the Urban Concept Gasoline category so far!” says team lead Rizki Arief Wicaksana from the Sadewa team (511) in Indonesia excitedly. “So, it’s a good year for us, better than last year. I hope we can hold and improve our position, but there are a lot of good teams here this year…”
Not everyone is having such a good day, though. Despite the hot, humid weather, the Sunspec team (404) from Singapore have been having trouble with their solar car. “It’s been very challenging for solar cars at this event,” they told us. “The best time to race is between 11 to 2pm, but we are off track for prayers at that time. After that, it tends to be hot but cloudy. We also sometimes lose the sun to cloud cover while waiting in the queue behind teams who don’t need the sun. It’s a little frustrating!”
The judging process for seven Off-Track awards also begins today. New awards such as for “Eco-Design,” “Best Team Spirit” and “Perseverance in the Face of Adversity” are available this year to motivate student teams to go beyond the technical competition.
To keep up with the live results.
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