[MEN CHEERING IN UNISON]
DEREK:
Exciting race.
-[LAUGHS] -Yeah, it's really exciting.
There are three teams.
Within 30 minutes...
I don't know if it's ever happened. I think not.
DEREK:
the top three solar teams,
Vattenfall, Agoria and Tokai
are starting just minutes apart.
But only one will bring home the trophy.
MAUD: There's obviously a bit of tension in the yard
because you know it's so close.
[ALL SHOUTING]
We've worked 14 months everyday,
70 to 80 hours a week, to cross the finish line first.
It would mean everything.
Everyone is ready to take... To take the cup home.
I'm sure of that. It's gonna be all in today.
All cards on the table. It's gonna be super-exciting.
-[SHOUTING] -Today is the final day
and a big day.
[ALL CHEERING]
DEREK:
I am here in Adelaide,
where the World Solar Challenge 2019 will end.
It has been quite the journey.
Four-and-a-half days travelling 3,000 kilometers,
nearly 1,900 miles cutting across a continent.
And some of the most harsh, deadliest landscape on Earth.
300 kilometers up the road
at the final control stop,
the top three teams are starting
based on their arrival times yesterday.
[COUNTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
DEREK:
are first out of the gate.
[CONTINUES COUNTING]
We're just gonna go. We're gonna go to Adelaide
as fast as we can. We're planning
not to be overtaken.
DEREK:
is only two minutes behind Vattenfall.
DEREK:
but can't be counted out of the running.
They've been gaining relentlessly
over the last two days, moving from seventh to third.
We have enough energy for the car to make it in.
In fact, we have too much energy
because of the speed restrictions yesterday.
So we'll be going at full speed
all the way into the finish line.
The Japanese... They just keep increasing the speed every day,
and I think they're making some of these European guys nervous.
DEREK:
is still within striking distance.
They're about 90 kilometers back.
We don't know exactly where all the vehicles are.
Um, but we did hear that they're pretty packed together
near Port Augusta.
Um, we're hoping that means they over-race a little bit,
and they try to, um, do lots of passes today,
and hopefully, maybe we can close some ground.
DEREK:
But you can never underestimate the reigning champions.
Vattenfall has won seven of the last nine races here.
WILLEM:
But there are, right now, a lot of good cars.
Tokai... Also, the Belgium team. It's also a very good car.
DEREK:
teams use as much battery as they can
to sprint into the finish.
But if a battery's charge gets too low,
this can be dangerous.
So everyone's pushing the limits of their cars and their packs,
and so, if you start getting towards the low-end of the pack
where you're running out of energy and, kind of,
pushing it a bit further,
your battery can start getting a bit hot.
DEREK:
they can become unstable...
[SOBBING] I'm so glad you're okay.
...as the Stanford team found out
on the first day of the race.
Move back! Everyone...
DEREK:
must watch their speed.
[JASPER SPEAKING]
MAN: Yeah, I'll just sneak out to the right side.
DEREK:
Agoria is slowly gaining on Vattenfall.
But with only a few hours left in the race,
it's not clear they'll have enough time
to catch the leader.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER RADIO]
We heard over the comms of Delft that something happened.
Had to go to the side of the road,
but I don't... I'm not sure why.
Uh, so we'll be merging behind their convoy,
and then monitor their speeds.
MAN:
DEREK:
is pulling over becomes painfully clear,
as their cabin fills with smoke.
-MAN 1: Stand by. -MAN 2: We have stopped.
[MAN 1 SPEAKING]
[MAN 2 SPEAKING]
[MAN 1 SPEAKING]
[MAN 2 SPEAKING]
[MEN SHOUTING]
Holy... [BLEEP]
[WOMAN CRYING]
DEREK:
Team Vattenfall's dreams are fully ablaze...
and the finality is inescapable.
[SPEAKING GERMAN]
[SPEAKING SWEDISH]
MAUD:
and now we have no car to cross the finish line with.
Uh, the whole team's quite devastated about it.
So we try to push each other
through this experience and try and stay positive,
but it's very, uh, difficult to,
with everything you've worked for is, sort of, gone.
DEREK:
Agoria passes by and into the lead.
The moment you pass another car
being broken or facing something very difficult,
the first thought is always, "Is the pilot okay?"
And then, it hits you like, "Oh, it's their work."
And it... You started... I felt sick.
I felt sick and, like, "Oh, it's terrible for them."
And... Yeah, it's such a weird... Yeah.
I wouldn't wish it upon anyone.
DEREK:
Agoria's "eyes" car or scout vehicle
reacts to Vattenfall's fate on social media.
-You see the smoke? -What?
CEDRIC: What? [BLEEP]
[YANTE SPEAKING]
So we are in first position right now.
That's quite exciting.
DEREK:
Tokai moves into second place.
While the Belgians have had a remarkable stroke of luck,
they're now being hunted down by the team from Japan.
DEREK:
Michigan is arriving at the final control stop,
Port Augusta.
With Vattenfall out of the race,
they've moved into the top three.
ANDREW: We started this morning in fourth place.
We're now in third.
DEREK:
that could still keep Michigan from a podium finish.
Two days ago, their lead car blocked Tokai from passing,
a possible violation of race rules.
DEREK:
but the jury is still out.
ANDREW: We didn't know if there was a penalty
related to the driving conduct of some vehicles.
Uh, and that was... It was pretty frustrating.
DEREK:
penalties are levied as forced time-outs from the race.
If officials decide to rule against Michigan,
it could allow the car behind them, Top Dutch,
to catch up and knock them out of third place.
ANDREW: Our strategy will not change as a result of this.
And the best way to win is to just focus on your own car
and keep going.
MAN: Holy... [BLEEP] What's down here?
[SPEAKING GERMAN]
DEREK:
Now just 15 minutes separates the front two cars,
and roadwork is just the kind of complication
that could bring Tokai right behind them.
So they look for a little help from the crew.
Okay, cool.
-Thank you very much. -Thanks a lot.
If we are gonna end up catching,
um, some of the teams in front of us,
we're gonna have to push our car to the limit.
Who knew that the competition
was gonna be the hardest we've ever faced.
But you never know what's gonna happen on this last day.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER RADIO]
DEREK:
Agoria still has to slow down
to safely pass through the construction,
losing valuable time.
[SPEAKING IN JAPANESE]
DEREK:
the heavy equipment has cleared...
-and they sail right through...
...closing in on the leader.
[MAN SPEAKING JAPANESE]
SIDD: As we get into these more dense areas of the city,
we'll be sharing the road with all the normal traffic.
That, to me, is a lot riskier.
It's really stressful for us.
[KOUHEI SPEAKING]
DEREK:
Tokai is closing in, just minutes behind.
So, the question is, can they catch them
with only two kilometers to go?
As the final minutes of the race tick away,
Tokai's only chance of catching up
is if Agoria gets snagged in the traffic lights.
But at the last intersection before the finish line at Bragg Park...
Agoria glides straight through.
-[HONKING] -[INAUDIBLE CHATTER]
[CHEERING]
-[BANGING] -MAN: Yes!
World Champions, baby! Okay.
[ALL CHEERING]
[ALL APPLAUDING]
[CHANTING IN UNISON]
What just happened? We became World Champion!
It's like... I have no words for it.
What is the event to you?
The event's a challenge.
It's a challenge to get here, 3,021 kilometers,
and if you get it, you already win,
and then, the second thing is getting first.
-And that's what we saw today.
[APPLAUSE]
DEREK:
in second place.
After crossing the official finish line in Bragg Park...
both teams move to the red carpet celebrations here,
in Victoria Square.
It feels amazing. We worked so hard for this,
and now we've made it, and we're in first place.
So much time and effort put into this car.
So much friendships that were put on the line.
But it was all... Every single second of it was worth it.
[CHEERING]
[CORK POPS]
The level of the competition was so high,
with all the high-performing machines,
and a lot of top cars didn't survive the event.
So we're happy to finish,
and we're even happier to be on the podium.
[CHEERING]
[LAUGHING]
DEREK:
[ALL CHEER]
DEREK:
[MAN SPEAKING]
...they're stopped by race officials.
[MAN SPEAKING]
DEREK:
[MAN SPEAKING]
DEREK:
before they can finish the race.
We had to serve some penalties.
Uh, and that was, uh... It was pretty frustrating,
especially on the...
We questioned the basis of some of the penalties,
and in the end, they didn't affect the placement, but, uh...
That actually... You know, I'm not gonna talk about it.
DEREK:
-[ALL CHEERING]
...and then Sonnenwagen,
who, despite their terrible crash,
were still able to finish in an astonishing sixth place.
CEDRIC:
uh, every one of us was just, uh,
a normal engineering student. Some kinds of nerds.
And now, when you see this challenge,
um, it's crazy to see that we have become
like action movie stars.
WILLEM-JAN:
I think we learnt why
the organization called it a challenge and not a race.
Every team kept their head up,
and that is something everybody should be proud of.
[APPLAUSE]
I'm also very proud of my team.
We always dreamed of this trophy,
and now people will say, "You have to beat the Belgians
"to get that trophy,"
and it's not, "You have to beat the Dutch."
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
YANTE:
There's a whole game of strategy and sacrifices
and hard-work and dedication of so many different people.
It's... It's... It's special.
Everyone's so dedicated and just going for it
with every single fiber in their bodies
just pointed towards that first place.
DEREK:
But the cutting-edge tech that went into the cars
will be analyzed and perfected for years to come.
Time will tell which of these innovations
will be adopted by the market.
But technology from past events has been game-changing.
-Yeah. Thank you. -Congratulations.
Yes.
DEREK:
but all of us might, one day, reap the rewards
of this year's World Solar Challenge.
[CHEERING AND APPLAUDING]