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Anything can happen during a racing day, every day will be different. Solar Team Twente is dependent on different variables: the weather, the route, the road surface  but also differences in altitude and other vehicles on the road. So, what does a typical racing day look like?

Before racing
The team gets up early, most of them will hit the alarm clock at six in the morning. The tents will be cleared and everyone will freshen up. Breakfast is made at half past six and the tents are packed. A short meeting to discuss the strategy for the day and a technical check up follows.  After that, it is time to pack the DMU (decision making unit car, which is a car with strategic team members) and the service car. The checklists are checked, the convoy is formed and the racing day can start at eight!

During racing
The solar team races from eight in the morning to five in the evening. There are one or two control stops per day, taking half an hour per check. The control stops are determined beforehand, the places of control checks are set.  The team can decide that an extra stop is needed to do maintenance. The team needs to be flexible and take into account that unexpected things can happen.

After racing
The racing day will end at five in the evening, a check list is run and the solar car will get the needed maintenance. The solar car fits into a big maintenance tent, giving the team members space to work at the car.

It is allowed to place the solar panel in the sun, as long as the sun is shining (rules are given for this), team members will determine where this place will be. Some team members will start cooking, where others will set up the tents. The camp site is on the exact place where the car ended its racing day. Reports of the day, media messages, a management team meeting and briefing for the next day are on the agenda. Tomorrow a new racing day, the protocol will be the same, but it will certainly be exciting!

Updates Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2015
Curious about the current situation of Solar Team Twente? Take a look at this page for updates.

Photos: Joost van Baars