SMASHING THE SIMPSON DESERT WITH SOLAR POWER

By Unsealed 4X4 2 Min Read

An Australian husband and wife team have successfully set a new world record for crossing the Simpson Desert in a solar powered 4WD.

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Mark and Denny French (White Team) have successfully crossed the Simpson Desert (Queensland, Australia) in a solar powered Suzuki being the first solar charged and battery driven 4WD to complete this amazing feat in 4 days, 21 hours and 23 minutes.

 

Two teams started the Aussie Outback Solar Challenge in September this year from Alka Seltzer Bore on the west side of the desert with the finish line in Birdsville on the eastern edge of the desert including crossing over the most famous sand dune in the Simpson – Big Red!

 

The White Team’s 378km drive traversed around 1000 sand dunes, they sailed through energy sapping soft desert sands and bone jarring heavily corrugated tracks along the French Line and the QAA Line in a test of endurance that challenged the competitors mentally, physically and mechanically.

 

As this news heads out, the second team (Yellow Team) headed by father and son team Alan and Michael Johnson, are still a couple of days from Birdsville slogging through temperatures above 35ºC.

 

This event has proven to be a huge task just for both teams so far with weather conditions and mechanical issues adding to the challenge. Stay tuned for the full story in an up coming issue of Unsealed 4X4 and RV Daily.


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