NUNA 7 and TOKAI! OLC season finishes with a 1000 from Scotland and starts with 2 in South Africa.

What??? You might say!
NUNA 7 and TOKAI, what’s that?

It’s all about the World Solar Challenge, a race from Darwin to Adelaide[ 3000 km.]  by car , this time not on 2 or 3 but on 4 wheels and “raced” over “normal” roads under the heat of the Aussie sun with up to 50 dgr. C.
With 3 classes and 38 teams from all over the world , p.e. Tokai University of Japan and UM Solar Michigan USA and the Technical  Universities of Delft and Eindhoven in Holland, the race was spectacular and in the end a neck-and-neck-race between Japan and Holland.
It’s the 7th time the Delft team participated and they won 5 times including this last one as …..THEY WON AGAIN!!!!

Solar race

The Dutch Nuna 7.
Courtesy NUON SOLAR TEAM site.

Two of the 16 students of the Delft University are girls, one is the team leader Marlies and the other one , Annemiek, one of the “racers” AND involved as student in the aerodynamics from this car and  also a good and keen glider pilot. She was selected by the Dutch NAC to fly in Issoudun during the WWGC, but opted for her study and this project. Do understand why, this is such a once in your life time thrill.

Annemiek Koers

One of the 16 students from Delft is Annemiek, racer , student and keen glider pilot.
Courtesy; Nuon Solar Team site.

So last Thursday they won again with an average of 90 km./h. and winning with a marge on TOKAI from more than 56 km. Their team coach, the very first astronaut from Holland,[in 1985] Prof. dr. Wubbo Ockels from the Delft University, was lifted on the shoulders after the car arrived in Adelaide. It’s 2 years before they race again and doctors only gave Wubbo 2 more years to live! He has an agressive form of kidney cancer,  as he shared with us on TV. But he is very determined to fight it as long as he can.
Already VERY special he could make it to Australia, something he really hoped for .

Nuna7 wint de World Solar Challenge 2013

The winning team.
Courtesy; Hans Peter van Velthoven

Talking about astronauts, also just this week , USA astronaut Scott Carpenter died age 88. In 1962 he was the 6th person  going into space.

The OLC , starts their 2014 season tomorrow as far as I know . The last week of the 2012/2013 season was a very interesting one with a 1000 km. flown from Scotland by John Williams from Kinross on October 10 2013 in the 20 m. ANTARES, flying a bit up North and then to the West and East Coast of Scotland in up to 3272 MSL / 3042 AGL, but also a few low points

http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=3401064

AND 2 x a DECLARED 1000 km. from Potchefstroom on October 11 2013 , so one day later, in South Africa ,where the overseas 2013/2014 just started . Oscar Goudriaan and Pieter Nouwens flew the very first set 1000 km. for the season,  but also the very first in the JS 1- 21m.according to JS.

http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=3402475

Oscar in JS 1

Oscar .

A lot of things happened last week, sad and good so for all other news from last week, you can read www.soaring.eu
I am back to 2 soaring.eu blogs again , so back to the Wednesday and Sunday routine. Of course the Sunday news appears as always in the CAFE as well.

It’s raining cat’s and dogs with a tough wind gusting up to 80 km./h. time to read a book now and the heating on 20, fall is there!

 Herfts by Ineke 3 Herfst by Ineke 5.

Herfst by Ineke 4

Autumn in Holland on days it was NICE fall weather.
as seen by Ineke Oorthuijs.

Enjoy your week, cheers Ritz