Our team made our country proud by being in the top three in the iLumen European Solar Challenge 2022 (iESC 2022), which it participated in Belgium.
iLumen European Solar Challenge 2022, iESC 2022, held at the former F1 Track Circuit Zolder in Belgium, one of the most challenging and prestigious organizations among the project team competitions, took place between 17-18 September 2022 this year. As ITU ZES Solar Car Team, we represented our country internationally. As many teams from different countries participated in iLumen European Solar Challenge 2022, we broke new ground in the competition with 257 laps in the 24 Hours of the race.
On the first day of the organization, we solved the transportation problem on September 14 and prepared for the Static Scrutineering, which will take place on September 15, 2022, on the second day. In the Static Technical Controls, after checking the life triangle, the pilot's tilt angle, the pilot's emergency exit time, battery stabilization, electrical isolation, and lighting systems required for the safety and protection of the pilot, we settled in the pit area in the evening and attended the welcome meeting. On September 16, Dynamic Technical Control (Dynamic Scrutineering), in which features such as braking test, turning radius of the vehicle, and rearview camera system were tested, was carried out, and thus our 10th solar car ARIBA ZES X successfully passed the static and dynamic technical controls. In the evening of the same day, the tires of ARIBA ZES X touched the asphalt of Circuit Zolder again for the Dynamic Track after a year for the night test. Hot lap and pit stop times affected the overall ranking by 20% in the Dynamic Track, which consists of a warm-up lap, a hot lap, a cool-down, and a pit stop, respectively. We completed the Dynamic Track 11th, which did not pass as expected due to the disruptions at the pit stop.
We woke up on the morning of September 17 with great race excitement and we attended the pilots' meeting for the first time. At 13:00, the 24-Hour Race Stage started with the traditional pilot run. ARIBA ZES X entered the pit area a total of 5 times for technical checks from the start of the race and was in the pit for only 47 minutes. In the competition, which was given the right to charge 3 times for 1 hour, it was charged 3 times and stayed in the charging area for a total of 155 minutes. Due to the heavy rain, we chose the tires suitable for the track conditions with the guidance of our Strategy Group, and thanks to this strategic move and the smooth race of ARIBA ZES X, we were ahead of many teams in the 24-hour stage that we started behind and continued the stage at the top. ARIBA ZES X, which entered the last hour of the 24-hour race in third place, reduced the difference of 3 laps to 1 with the car of RWTH Aachen University in second place. As there was not enough time left, we completed the competition as the third team with the most laps with 257 laps.
You can click to watch our adventure in Belgium. We continue to work hard for many more successes. Our next destination is Australia, the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2023!
