A solar car made by students from Japan's Tokai University was announced the winner of the 3,000 km Global Green Challenge 2009.
The race, which saw entries from across the globe, started in Australia's northern city of Darwin on October 24 and took entrants across the country's vast deserts and past some of its most famous locations.
The winning team crossed the finish line yesterday at 3.39pm local time in the South Australian capital of Adelaide.
In what appeared to be a near faultless run over the 3,000 kilometre distance from the Darwin, Tokai University team's first and only reported issue occurred in the final stage of the journey when car, known as the Tokai Challenger, suffered a flat tyre, 2824 kilometres from the Darwin start. They finished a day ahead of other entrants and the official closing date of the race.
The victory by Tokai Challenger is the first by a Japanese team since 1996 when the event was won by Honda Dream II. Honda also won the previous event in 1993.
The Global Green Challenge in its former guise as the World Solar Challenge was first run in 1987 and has been conducted every two years since. This year the race was expanded to include production and prototype eco friendly vehicles that are, or soon will be available to car buying public.
Other entrants included the world's fastest all electric sports car the Tesla, a Honda 'postie bike' run on alcohol fuel entered by Top Gear Australia, Deep Green Research has entered an electric Honda, motoring writer Peter McKay drove a Fords Fiesta Econetic and a Suzuki Alto was steered by Carsguide's Karla Pincott and writer Feann Torr.
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