# 1999 World Solar Challenge

The 1999 World Solar Challenge was one of a biennial series of solar-powered car races, covering about 3,000 km (1,900 mi) through the Australian Outback, from Darwin, Northern Territory to Adelaide, South Australia.
There were 40 entrants in the event, 28 of which completed the course. The overall winner was Aurora 101, built by the Aurora Solar Car Team of Australia at an average speed of 72.96 km/h. It is the only edition of the race to be won outright by an Australian team.

## Route

The World Solar Challenge runs across approximately 3,000 km from Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, to Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.
Control points are established along the route for driver changes and public viewing opportunities. In 1999, these included Katherine, Dunmarra, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, Cadney Park Homestead, Glendambo, Port Augusta and Angle Vale.

## Results

The Aurora Solar Car Team from Melbourne, Australia won the event outright.
| Rank | Team | Car | Country | Class | Time (hr:mn) | Speed (km/h) |
| 1 | Aurora | Aurora 101 | Australia | | 41:06 | 72:96 |
| 2 | Queens University | Radiance | Canada | | 41:33 | 72.12 |
| 3 | University of Queensland | SunShark | Australia | | 41:50 | 71.86 |
| 4 | Northern Territory University | Desert Rose | Australia | Silver Zinc | 42:14 | 71.00 |
| 5 | Kanazawa Institute of Technology | KIT Golden Eagle | Japan | Silver Zinc | 44:33 | 67.31 |
| 6 | Tamagawa Solar Challengers | Tamagawa Super Genbow | Japan | Silver Zinc | 45:26 | 66.00 |
| 7 | Lake Tuggeranong College | Spirit of Canberra | Australia | | 45:31 | 65.86 |
| 8 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Manta GTX | USA | Cutout | 45:34 | 65.81 |
| 9 | University of Michigan | Maize Blaze | Japan | | 47:34 | 63.04 |
| 10 | Osaka Sangyo University | OSU Model S | Australia | | 48:21 | 62.02 |
Separate classes were convened based on the solar cell material used by teams.

### Silver Zinc class

| Class | Overall | Team | Car | Country | Time (hr:mn) | Speed (km/h) |
| 1 | 4 | Northern Territory University | Desert Rose | Australia | 42:14 | 71.00 |
| 2 | 5 | Kanazawa Institute of Technology | KIT Golden Eagle | Japan | 44:33 | 67.31 |
| 3 | 6 | Tamagawa Solar Challengers | Tamagawa Super Genbow | Japan | 45:26 | 66.00 |

### Silicon class

| Class | Overall | Team | Car | Country | Time (hr:mn) | Speed (km/h) |
| 1 | 14 | SA Solar Car Consortium | NED | Australia | 55:13 | 54.31 |
| 2 | 20 | Southbank University | Mad Dog III | UK | 59:11 | 50.67 |
| 3 | 21 | Central Queensland University | Capricorn Solar Flair | Australia | 60:27 | 49.61 |

### Cutout class

| Class | Overall | Team | Car | Country | Time (hr:mn) | Speed (km/h) |
| 1 | 8 | MIT | NED | Australia | 45:34 | 65.81 |
| 2 | 20 | Aoyama Gakuin University | AGU Aglaia | Japan | 58:21 | 51.39 |
| 3 | 21 | University Missouri Rolla | | USA | 63:27 | 47.26 |

### Private class

| Class | Overall | Team | Car | Country | Time (hr:mn) | Speed (km/h) |
| 1 | 11 | Solar Motions | Cascade Cruiser | USA | 48:21 | 62.02 |
| 2 | 15 | Jona Sun | Jona Sun | Japan | 55:45 | 53.79 |
| 3 | 17 | Junkyard | Junkyard | Japan | 56:54 | 53.79 |

## Cycle challenge

The Electricity Trust of South Australia sponsored a solar-powered cycle challenge over approximately 1,500 km from Alice Springs to Adelaide.