Celebration and awards to mark 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge

From the battle of the fins to a battle with the elements, the 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge was one of the most closely contested in its history. It delivered drama, excitement, ingenuity and a finish that came down to the wire. Teams celebrated, collaborated and commiserated. They showed resilience when faced with the myriads of challenges that came their way, and regardless of the distance travelled, take home skills, lessons learned and lasting friendships from this life-changing experience.

 

From the field of 34 that left Darwin, 26 in the Toyota Challenger Class and eight in the Cruiser class – more than half of the Challengers (14) and three Cruisers completed the full 3021-kilometre course. More competitors finished than in 2023 – an outstanding result considering the new winter timeslot with less sun and strong winds.

 

Line honours went to Dutch team, Brunel in Nuna 13, – a solar car that revelled in the conditions, kitted out with canopy fin for stability and aerodynamics and a second ‘swordfin’ adding a wind assisted turbo boost in the right conditions. With an average speed of 86.6 kilometres per hour, they crossed the line first ahead of second place Team Twente from the Netherlands and Belgian team Innoptus in Infinite Apollo. Nine Challengers made it over the finish line on day five – with their final times showing just how close this race was, just 30 minutes separated first to third. Fifty minutes separated 4th to 6th with Sonnenwagen Aachen triumphantly passing the Port Augusta milestone that had proved their nemesis in past events; and just one minute between Japan’s Tokai and Australia’s Western Sydney who came storming home. Following them were Michigan in 7th, JU from Sweden in 8th and Canada’s Eclipse in 9th. After five days crossing the Aussie Outback, 4 hours and 7 minutes was all that stood between these nine teams. Hungary’s Neumann, Swiss aCentauri, Sweden’s Chalmers, and Japan’s Kogakuin and Osaka, all crossed the finish line triumphant on Friday.

 

In the new look Cruiser class judging occurred in Darwin for the first time. Design honours went to Estonia’s Solaride III Enefit, for its focus on safety, solar efficiency, and passenger comfort earning them a 28-minute time advantage and the stage was set for an exciting race for line honours.

 

Congratulations to the VTC Solar Car Team from Hong Kong who are now celebrating their Cruiser Class victory, as the aerodynamic Sophie 8X cruised to the Adelaide finish line at 11.29.56 am on Friday morning. In a closely contested battle, Estonia’s Solaride crossed in second place, just four minutes behind. In what is surely one of the success stories of 2025, Italian team Onda Solare, whose car, Emilia 5.9, had only arrived three days before the start in Darwin, finished in 3rd place.

 

A highlight of the event, the Awards Ceremony on Sunday celebrated team success and individual achievements. Streamed live with team supporters back home tuning in, the Ceremony recognised:

 

• The Event Safety Award – Eclipse ETS for consistent feedback across multiple safety categories recognising their holistic approach to safety
• The CSIRO Technical Innovation Award – Onda Solare for innovative suspension featuring carbon fibre flexibility
• The ‘David Fewchuk Spirit of the Event’ Award went to the Mechanical Scrutineering Team & NT MVR (Scott Smith) for dedication and assistance to teams
• The Rinstrum Precision Weight Award and the PR and Media Award went to University of Michigan
• The Bridgestone E8 Commitment award in recognition of the team that best embodies Bridgestone’s commitment to sustainability went to Iron Lions Solar Car Team

 

The event also paid tribute with a special CSIRO award to honour the long-lasting contribution and legacy of Chief Energy Scientist and foundation faculty member, Dr David Rand AM who is retiring from the faculty. David has served as the Battery Technical Officer, and later as the Chief Energy Scientist, for all events to date. With the steady improvement in the performance of the various battery chemistries, David’s role has been to revise the regulations, to reflect those conditions more accurately.

 

Event Ambassador Chris Selwood said there is strong evidence that the battery lessons learnt from the World Solar Challenge have contributed to the automotive industry’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint through progressive electrification of road vehicles.

 

‘This achievement is in no small part due to David’s passion and commitment to the next generation and more sustainable mobility, Chris said.
‘We congratulate all who joined us on the 2025 BWSC journey and I look forward to celebrating the 40th anniversary in 2027,’ Chris concluded.