Off the Mark at Last!!!!!

DAY 1: DARWIN - KATHERINE (317 km / 197 mi)
The big day arrived. We got up at 5am…after checking the time every hour, just in case the cell phone alarm didn’t go off! Took a quick cold shower to wake up, did the last of the packing, loaded up the cars and headed off into the dusky glow of the tropical dawn. The humidity was still high, but the temperature was less than 90 F.

We arrived at the allotted time to be greeted by chaos, with solar cars still arriving, some trying to leave and some still in bits on the ground. The disorganisation was still working well. Nobody knew where we were supposed to go and finally the Greenfleet cars were bundled into a vacant lot two car parks away from the action. Any sort of display was pointless because the spectators didn’t know where we were.

Finally the chaotic melee evolved into a complex, near miss mechanical ballet, whose intricate moves were accompanied by shouted commands, rude gestures and muttered curses. The way finally clear, the Greenfleet cars were moved to within striking distance of the assembled multitudes, so we unrolled the Team Ethanol banner and started spruiking our message to anybody who would listen. Met up with two Mackay couples who were in Darwin on holidays and had heard about their local team on one of the Darwin radio stations. We even got to meet…drum roll, blare of trumpets…Hans Tholstrup, the man who single handedly started the World Solar Challenge two decades ago. He must be close to his 70’s by now, but still has fire in his belly and looks as fit as a mallee bull.

The tension builds as the solar cars start to leave the start line at one minute intervals, but tragedy strikes one of the favourites, which has some sort of electrical haemorrhage and refuses to start. We don’t know the outcome, but if they can get it started they’ll have to start at the back of the grid and if they can’t then they’ve spent all that time, effort, money and travel for nothing.

Finally it’s the Greenfleet turn and our hearts rev up, as does the engine in front of us and the adrenalin kicks in like a blast of pure ethanol. We make our way to the start line, starter announces us, the flag drops and we’re on our way through cheering crowds which line the streets all the way out of town and in enthusiastic patches for miles down the track.

It was quite slow going in a lot of places, having to negotiate our way around some of the slower solar cars and their support vehicles, which travel in front and behind them. We noticed some on the side of the road in trouble early and heard on ABC Radio that one had had a major embarrassing “oops”…he crashed into the back of his own support vehicle!

We got a call from radio’s Australia All Over, which goes out every Sunday morning Australia wide and Syd spoke on air with “Macca”, telling him all about the event and our part in it.

Changed drivers at Adelaide River and continued on to the first checkpoint at Katherine, where we had lunch and the Greenfleet cars set up a display for the community. That was the end of the formal journey for the day and the car performed brilliantly. Syd has set it up so that we can monitor fuel consumption on the fly, distance travelled and amount left in the tank. The fuel consumption is actually better than we expected and doesn’t seem to vary whether we have the aircon on or not…now that’s a real bonus because the temperature is really starting to soar. We’ve decided to run the car as it would happen in real life, rather than some airy fairy academic exercise of no aircon, all windows up and travelling at unrealistic slow speeds.

We finished the day with a trip up Katherine Gorge, which is a huge channel carved out of sandstone with rock faces sometime hundreds of feet high. It’s actually a series of 13 gorges, each one more spectacular than the last. It’s populated with huge numbers of freshwater crocodiles, diving birds, kangaroos and fish.

Today was only about 200 miles but tomorrow is a biggie, about 450 miles down to Tennant Creek. This will give us a much better look at the fuel consumption.

A day at the Races

Brian's Blog

The penultimate day before the event dawns and the angry sun tears itself out of the horizon and leaps raging into the sky. It looks like being even hotter and stickier today than previously.

Syd is off playing knight on a white charger…actually his charger is red, he’s in the Rodeo fuel pickup. We’ve taken a Malaysian team under our wing. They’re driving a pedal trike with a hydrogen fuel cell power supplement. At a pedal rate of 70 strokes per minute they can achieve 35 mph. It’s a test bed for motorcycle mounted hydrogen fuel cells due for commercial release next year. Here’s their problem. They needed to collect four large hydrogen cylinders in a pickup…except that they didn’t have a pickup and we did. Actually they didn’t have a support vehicle at all, just the tricycle, which they had dismantled and flown out from the Philippines as hand luggage. So, as well as picking up their hydrogen cylinders we also drove them to a van hire place. Team Ethanol seems to have become the default father and mother figures for the event and we’re picking up orphans all over the place!

The rest of the team spent the morning down at Hidden Valley raceway. It’s well named, the road signage is almost non-existent and it took us ages to find our way there. This is where the solar car teams do their final scrutineering checks and lap qualifying times, to determine the starting order for the race. The Greenfleet cars are all there on display and it gives the teams a chance to get to know one another better.

An unexpected bonus came up with the announcement that the Greenfleet cars would have a chance to do a lap around the race circuit at one minute intervals. Unfortunately, the second car out broke down in the middle of the track on the second bend. By the time they got a support vehicle out there and moved it off the circuit, the allowable track time for the day had almost elapsed. So the rest of the cars can only manage a couple of single file parade laps.
Rats!!! The only bright spot is that the car behind the Saab was so slow that we could hang right back to get lots of track space between us and the cars in front. Then give it a bootfull and blast through the corners and up the straight to catch up. Even with that limited outing it’s obvious that the Saab is by far the most powerful Greenfleet car there.

In the afternoon Jane took the Saab for a promo photo shoot with the United Nations of Beer rep. More about that from Jane later.

We’ve done a trial pack today so that we know how much room we have for food supplies.

Final briefing this afternoon for Greenfleet and the media gave us last minute instructions for the start and the journey. Then back to our apartment for a quiet Thai take-away dinner and an early night. It’ll be a 5am rise to get packed and out to the starting grid tomorrow. If the 2005 event is anything to go by this one will be packed with enthusiastic spectators. The excitement is building up in the whole team and sleep tonight might be more by accident than design. Stay tuned for live updates from the starting grid…the main event is about to begin.

Darwin Team Registration and the Ghost of Ethie

Brian's post:

Up early to greet the dawn of another steamy day in Darwin and a full cooked breakfast to fuel the team’s bodily engines. Then the team splits up, with Syd and Bill taking the Rodeo to pick up the fuel from Ausfuel Distributors (thanks Justin) and Janet and I liaise with Dynamic Signs (thanks Ryan) to spot cover the Saab with sponsors’ decals. Then we cross over as the Rodeo comes in to be “decaled” at Dynamic Signs and we take the Saab into Darwin City to pick up boxes of our team stubby holders from Associated Advertising & Promotions (thanks Claire). I did a quick interview on Community Radio, thanking all of supporters and friends.

In the afternoon we head off to the Darwin Showgrounds to register the team and have the World Solar Challenge decals added to our other professionally affixed decals…more about that disaster in a minute! There are all sorts of weird and wonderful vehicles arriving for registration, including our old mates the Swiss Twikers. We’ll be adding photos of these strange machines as the event progresses.

While the team is registering I bring the Saab into the marshalling area to get its number (lucky 7) and the WSC stickers attached by the installers. When I see the result I am not a happy budgie…the old Aussie phrase “ a dog’s breakfast” springs to mind, but no self respecting dog would lay claim to this mess…on crooked, covered in bubbles and creases, with the ends curling up. I dispense my displeasure to the attendant marshalls in no uncertain terms, requesting that they supply us with a couple of spare stickers which we will have mounted professionally. After viewing this particular disaster area they agree to my suggestion…Dynamic Signs to the rescue again…the Saab is now looking like a real event winner.

All teams were invited to the Chief Minister’s reception at 6pm. This is the ideal opportunity for the solar and greenfleet teams to mingle, get to know one another pre event and swap tall stories. It’s like a mini United Nations with teams coming from all over the world. Unlike the formal United Nations this event has smiles rather than frowns, no interpreters to muddy the meanings and a feeling of actually achieving something worthwhile! Just one small sour note, the organisers have decreed that there will be no limit on numbers within a team, but the limit for those able to attend official functions is set at six. So you could be a member of a large team, spend money and time to get to Darwin and then have the very real possibility of not being able to attend the fun social functions. Dontcha just love it when bureaucrats are let loose on the real world!

Ethie section
Those who have read last event’s diary on this website or followed us in 2005, would be aware of the “saga of Ethie’s Stain of Shame”, when Team Ethanol left its mark on Darwin, in more ways than one. A quick recap. During the last Chief Minister’s reception, Ethie, our 1925 Austin ragtop was the centrepiece of the Greenfleet display in front of the steps of Parliament House in Darwin. During the evening, the team was summarily summoned by security from the reception. The finger of scorn was pointed at Ethie who, as a slightly incontinent mechanical maiden of 80 tender years, had the temerity to drop oil on on the Chief Minister’s “patio”. She was promptly banished to the public carpark in disgrace, to leak in peace!

And now two years later the evidence is still there. Last night the team revisited the scene of the crime and paid group homage to Ethie’s escapade. This year there was no display of Greenfleet cars at Parliament House…coincidence? Or is the shadow of Ethie’s mighty presence still looming large over international events!!
End of Ethie Section

Margaret arrived in Darwin earlier today and Gavin flew in just after midnight, swelling the team number to 10…just one to go for a full contingent.

Team's Arrival in Darwin

Brian's blog

Heather and I got to Mackay Airport at 6am and met up with other team members Syd & Janet Norman, Bill Young, and Ross Neivandt. Check in became interesting when Syd & Janet set off the security alarms with a small pair of scissors in their hand luggage and then Heather was selected (again!) for a personal explosives check. So, that’s one for concealed weapons and one for suspected terrorism and we hadn’t even left Mackay!

Thankfully the rest of the air trip to Darwin was uneventful until the final touch-down, which was more of a slam-down…I think we got the apprentice pilot, or his contact lenses weren’t in properly.

We took a bus to our rented apartment, checked in and then the rest of the team left to pick up the event car and support vehicles, while I got on with some media stuff. The damage to Ross’s car was not as bad as first thought…more of a flesh wound than a critical injury. Gotta say that the team at Kerry Holden, the local car dealer that looked after the vehicles, was fantastic. They treated our team like royalty and nothing was too much trouble. Thanks guys.

Late that afternoon, while I was measuring up the Saab for signage, the “egg on wheels” (Switzerland’s Twike team) arrived. They’d done the trip up the coast and west across the top end to Darwin (nearly 3000 miles), without breaking anything except a sweat. They all looked noticeably leaner after that long trip in their travelling sauna. Both teams headed off to the wharf to sample the delights of the harbour eateries, washed down with ample liquid lubricant.

Jane arrived from Brisbane just after midnight and that signalled the end of our first day in Darwin.