Aurora Report #3 from Bibendum - 30 May 2010

PETROPOLIS, NEARLY BUSTED

The sun was shining on this day of the 4 different rallies organised for the participants of the 2010 Michelin Bibendum event.

The most extensive was for passenger cars into which the two intrepid solar car entries from Aurora and Belenos had entered. The last major event for these two cars was the Global Green Challenge in Australia last October. Three thousand and ten kilometres of straight flat road from Darwin to Adelaide. In comparison we expected that the near 300 km distance of the Bibendum Rally would be relatively easy.

Aurora 101 was the first entry to leave led by the Ford Ranger crew cab supplied by Ford Brazil. Five Aussies with a Portuguese route book and a ‘can do’ spirit were taking their desert racer into the worst of Brazilian roads and an amount of mountain climbing included.

 

Petropolis was prominent destination. Sounded like a futuristic location but in fact was a former summer destination for the King of Portugal. Getting there was another thing.

The first section of the rally was to drive out of the immediate Rio area on a series of freeways and good roads. There was no holding back as Derrick, driving the solar car, surprisingly joined the traffic at 90-105 kph. That had its own immediate problem. The solar car created its own traffic as passing cars paced the solar car for a closer look. These roads had not had such a low flying car on them before. The cameras were out.

At the second of twelve mandatory checkpoints all entrants were required to make 2 passes in an acceleration test before having the rally card stamped and the journey resumed towards Petropolis. In this 27-kilometre stage the road was already climbing. The Rio Harley Davison Club were on a special group ride and rather than pass the solar car they absorbed it like it was one. Derrick travelled in the motor cycle convoy up to the first toll booth and just before checkpoint 4. Finding the electronic tollbooths the lead vehicle passed through at 30 kph. What about the low, non-metallic solar car? It also triggered the green and we were through and into Checkpoint 4. We were the first of the rally cars to arrive at this point and we were early.

The next section was a serious continuous climd. It was also a regularity stage where the aim was to arrive at the next stop at precisely the time set by the organisers. This was new to us but we did well, for a while. Soon the road became just two lanes, with no runoff shoulder on either side. Continuous curves and a rough surface gave the solar car some problems as the stiff suspension made steering more difficult. Still we were going well and watching the motor temperature carefully. Its peak allowable temperature is 120 degrees Celsius.

Then all the fun stopped. A broken down bus was being towed at crawl speed up the mountain. At the time we reached the bus the road became just one lane because due to road works. No passing possible. There went the average speed.

Also this increased the motor temperature and we needed to stop for motor cooling. This was necessary once again another 10 km up the mountain where we stopped under the cross. Good omen.


After 23 km of this mad climb we reached the top for control point 6. The tow truck with the bus passed by, itself looking for the relief of getting across to the down hill road and we enjoyed some freeway driving once again. At least for 20 km before the route took us off the freeway and into a long valley with many small towns and villages.

 

The next 38 km should have been flat and easy with a good look at the steep mountains and the towns. However the road was full of patched surface, holes and speed bumps. Like over a hundred speed bumps. Both our lead car and the solar car had to cross these bumps at less than 5 kph so this section used much energy and took forever to finish.

The local must have known something and many of them burst out in laughter when they saw the solar car. We put it down to their sheer joy but also we probably reminded them of something out of ‘The Simpsons’.

Lunch was not far away but we had to earn it on the last uphill highway section. This required us to install

our second small battery pack. Lunch was at a modest resort and it was welcome. The French solar car team Belenos arrived about 40 minutes later so both of the desert racers were passed the halfway point.

The way back still required a 500-meter climb then it was mostly downhill to the city of Rio. The light was fading and we faced another stop start crawl through the city, Famous Copacabana made no impression on us as we watched the battery ebb away. Tunnels were ahead including one of 1.6 km length, uphill. The solar car had to use its headlights but was nearly out of battery. On the tunnel exit we pulled over next to a favela to determine what to do next. There was no sunlight at all; we were out of battery so the solar car was lifted on to the support trailer for the last 20 kilometers.

On entering the Rio Centro in the gloom we tried the last event; a timed slalom contest. We had just enough power to have Derrick try it. And what a slalom run!

This had been the hardest day we had ever encountered in years of solar car activities. But we made it, as did our French team.