体坛英语新闻：Dutch team wins seventh World Solar Challenge title in Australia

CANBERRA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Dutch team Nuon Solar has won its seventh World Solar Challenge title in Adelaide, South Australia when it reached the finish line at Victoria Square in Thursday afternoon.

Nuon Solar's vehicle had departed Darwin in the Northern Territory, 3022 kilometers away, on Sunday.

Nuon's vehicle reached speeds of 110 kilometers per hour (kmph) during the race, beating the second-placed University of Michigan team from the United States by a full hour. Belgium's Punch Two came in third place.

Also crossing the finish line on Thursday were Tokai University's Tokai Challenge from Japan and University of Twente's Red Shift from the Netherlands.

Australia's Western Sydney solar team was expected to finish in sixth place on Friday, making it the first Australian team to finish in the top 10.

Nuon Team said the journey is about weather monitoring, energy consumption and predicting the best way through the clouds.

Team manager Sander Koot said that they adjusted their strategy and driving style to the nerve-wracking weather conditions with wind gusts of up to 60 kilometers per hour.

Aerodynamics expert for the team, Jasper Hemmes, said drivers were instructed to position the solar car in such a way to profit from the winds as if it were a sailing ship.

Vehicles entered in the race by the 40 competing teams must be entirely solar powered and must adhere to Australian traffic regulations.

The 2017 World Solar Challenge marked 30 years since the event first took place in 1987, when it was established to showcase the emerging power of solar energy.