2005 - 2006 Campaigns

Aurora's Campaigns from 2005 to 2006

Melbourne to Sydney

AURORA 101 SHAVES THE MELBOURNE TO SYDNEY RECORD
887 KM ON NOT MUCH SUN, 12 HOURS 15 MINUTES


24 January 2006

It should have been easier than this but the unexpected lack of clear sun made this trip much more difficult.

It started from 101 Collins Street Melbourne at 6.25 AM, flagged away by the General Manager of 101 Collins Street Peter Young. He said he needed an early start in the office. The Aurora 101 team clearly needed more sleep. Turning up in the dark at 5.30 AM for a trip to Sydney could have been more comfortable.

Derrick Rodgers prepares for the dash to Albury
Derrick Rodgers prepares for the dash to Albury
Peter Young flags the solar car away at 6.25 AM
Peter Young flags the solar car away at 6.25 AM

The team for this record attempt was Peter Pudney from Adelaide, Ian Dyk from Sydney, Derrick Rodgers from Hamilton, Dennis Trewhella from the UK as well as Andrew Lamb and David Fewchuk from Melbourne. Team member Sally Forsyth had prepared lunches for the trip team and former team manager Viv Baddeley was on hand for photographs.

Eleven hours was the target duration for the trip, Really just an average speed of 80 km/h. Considering the recent performances of the solar supercar Aurora 101 in the Suzuka ‘Dream Cup’, the Panasonic World Solar Challenge and the 24 hour world record this 11 hour target should have been beaten as well.

Clearing Melbourne the convoy of two Mazdas and the solar car took a quaint ‘hook turn’ at Elizabeth Street, joined the Tullamarine Freeway , the Western Ring Road and Craigieburn Bypass for a quick link with the unbroken dual lane Hume highway. The trip to Albury saw a 100 km average speed maintained. No complaints even passing ‘Howlong’ 284 km along the way.

Ian Dyk used the trip to Albury for a bit of sleep but took over at the fuel stop for the trip to Gundagai. Peter Pudney called for 90 km/h as the skies were definitely developing smoke haze from the Victorian bushfires. This section of highway had many construction zones and two lane passages needing considerable driver concentration. At Gundagai Peter had to pull up his traditional red socks, confer with the ‘Dog on the Tuckerbox’ and re-calculate the strategy for the remaining half of the trip.

Directions from the dog Just interfering with lunch in Gundagai
Directions from the dog Just interfering with lunch in Gundagai
What a distraction, a real solar car
What a distraction, a real solar car

Derrick drove the next section heading off into the worsening haze, still at 90 km/h. We were hoping for an improvement in direct sunlight but it never came. The haze worsened; soon there were hardly any shadows and finally just cloud. Peter continued to wrestle with the running strategy assisted by Andrew Lamb who was checking the telemetry data..

Heading into worsening skies
Heading into worsening skies

The outlook recorded at 2.15 PM and 640 km was ‘strong headwinds, full cloud, 60 km/h and an emptying battery’. Still 250 km to go to the end point at Sydney’s Aurora Place.

At 2.40 PM or 663 KM it was ‘light rain, 50 km/h and cloud in all directions’. Amazingly the solar panel of the car was generating 200-300 watts, enough to maintain about 40 km/h.

At 2.48 PM or 669 KM we passed the road marker saying this was the highest point on the highway, 723 metres. It was 218 km to Sydney and theoretically downhill. The battery condition was down to 6 amp hours just one seventh of its capacity. Optimistically we calculated that the 700 metre drop would be equivalent to another 4 amp hours. Losing hope of even reaching Sydney or breaking any record we finished off our lunches had one more driver change and toilet break and slid Ian Dyk into the drivers’s seat for the prospect of not making it. His high speed racing Porsche drives looking a lot more exciting than the sedate 60 km/h pace he was asked to maintain.

The gloomy weather was a benefit for the many motorists that after passing the solar car would stop by the side of the road to get a good picture as we crept on by.

The two way radio channel we were using also provided a bit of amusement as other users on the same channel could be heard to comment. The conversation between two semi-trailer drivers travelling in the opposite direction went like this:

“ Hey mate, look at what’s coming the other way, its one of them solar cars.”

“ Yeh, I suppose we’ll all be driving one of them soon the way petrol’s going”

“ Bet it can’t carry the load you’ve got on your truck!”

“ Yeah and I bet you can’t do what we used to in the back seat!!”

Peter desperately judged that we needed to travel on light energy without any draw from what was left in the battery. This was to be left for the Dash through Sydney’s peak hour traffic if we got as far as the M5 Motorway. Only 125 km to go!! Thankfully its also downhill. A 600 metre drop in 125 KM. Figure that one out.

We were mightily relieved to reach the M5. Ian’s Dad and supporter Gary Jones joined our convoy camera rolling. We learnt all about the madness of Sydney traffic on entering the 7 km long tunnel of the M5. Two narrow lanes, no shoulders and tight traffic all travelling at the 80 km/h limit. The low [less than a metre high] solar car was dwarfed but had to hold position, even changing lanes so we passed through the electronically controlled toll gates.

Then the same as we swung north on the Eastern Distributor. More lane changing but superbly managed by Ian Dyk who also works part time as a courier in Sydney.

Then on to the exit for Macquarie Street, out of the tunnels into the rain and a traffic jam.

Emerging, wet but almost there
Emerging, wet but almost there
Sure enough Macquarie Street is in the centre of the city
Sure enough Macquarie Street is in the centre of the city

Aurora 101 crept uphill crossed Macquarie Street and rolled on to the pedestrian apron opposite Aurora Place. It was 6.40 PM, the odometer said 887 km. The record had been broken. In the gloom Channel 7 turned up to record the record asking whether we could take it around the block for filming in action.

The end
The end
A couple of very relieved drivers, Ian Dyk and Derrick Rodgers
A couple of very relieved drivers, Ian Dyk and Derrick Rodgers

Very sorry the batteries had enough only for a sputtering half block.

Channel 7 , isn’t it a bit dark?

Channel 7 , isn’t it a bit dark?

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