Monday September 19 - Testing on Arnhem Highway
The Nuon Solar Team and Nuna 3 have been testing on the Arnhem Highway for quite some tests now.
At first the mechanical and electronic aspects of the solar car were tested. After this, the
main focus was on the driving experience of the Nuna-drivers and the collection of usefull data
for the strategy during the race. On Wednesday, the Nuon Solar Team will move from Nightcliff
Primary School to Hidden Valley Race Track. There we will drive some laps with Barend, the
driver that drives Nuna 3 during the qualifications. On Thursday, Nuna 3 will be on the
Showground for the Scrutineering.
Friday August 19 - Nuon Solar Team arrived in Darwin
After those relaxing days along the Stuart Highway we have reached the goal of the journey that started
in Adelaide. Darwin. The end of this trip, the start of the coming World Solar Challenge. Finally a city
that has more than 100 inhabitants and a petrol station. The coming five
weeks we will stay in Alatai Apartments in the centre of the lively city. Our office and Nuna 3 are accomodated in
Nightcliff Primary School in a suburb of Darwin.
Friday August 12 - Ego by Jeroen Bink
While sitting on a couch with a Bacardi-jus, the TL-light irritation in this slum in Alice Springs is decreasing with every sip.
Alice Springs; during the day so hot because of the, for us so important sun, but at night it�s freezing,
which isn�t very good for the water in the swimming pool here.
Alice Springs; half way on our journey, to measure and to know. Knowing we already do, the Stuart Highway, which will still be asphalt for the next 1500 km. Also measuring; heights and low levels, camping spots and the thickness of our sleeping bags. It�s not too bad, nobody has yet been wild-crapping, or better crapped in the wilderness, I think. We haven�t seen many wild animals yet, some emus and a crossing cow, like we don�t have those ourselves. No, a dead kangaroo at coordinate S25 20.691 E32 01.951 has made up for all of it, even though I didn�t see it myself.. But most of our varied company thought that what was left of the body, really did have some characteristics of a walibi�.And by the way, the coordinate isn�t even real.
Intermezzo: Sander; when having read the preceding text, tells me with a frivolous smile, that he did have a wild-crap. I just forgot the coordinate..
Ayers Rock
S25 20.691 E32 01.951, 865 metres. 340 metres higher then when standing at the bottom of the stone, there have to be differences. 340 metres climbing is an hour too much, or actually I was only half way when my increasing speed was to tough for the thin air. You are leading and in front, next a whole team of different people passes you by, and you realise you almost have to throw up. You take a few more tough steps and hope the next break will take longer than till the moment the last person arrives. Me. Yes it�s true, so no they won�t do it.
Sitting by yourself beneath, just managed to climb the whole distance downwards while being nauseous, you look at you GPS-handheld and you simply consider throwing this 300 gram of overweight away. What 2 millibar pressure difference can do to your ego. Fighting your sickness and stamping on that same ego, you take a bottle of water from a �fat-mister� who himself has had it with the remarks of people feeling sorry for him carrying all that overweight to the top. The descend was a better experience for him than the climb upwards, which I at that point knew myself for 50%. Eventually this turned out to be a quarter, but for moral you say it is half at that moment. Ego technically I decide to inhale some thick air, climb towards the thin air again, while I thinking of the exact reason, I had to climb down in the first place. Pee-break. A small lie, because I am trying..
Small people with orange T-shirts and a tiny car on their back become larger and you realise you are steadily ascending again, while the rest of your varied team is way up already. You lean on the thought that the miniature Nuna 3�s on the back of their T-shirts are becoming larger, and that they thus are having a break. They probably don�t even know I�m last. Weighting is not up for discussion.
Intermezzo: When it is a lot of degrees (numbers are missing because of the loss of 200 grams temperature sensor) and the boiling sun is backing, you just take off you�re your T-shirt and put on a hat, even though there is no party. Oh and you take water from any person, who you would give extra shopping car space in the supermarket.
Smaller steps, shirt, hat, water, resting on time, and another pie (don�t lie). On top you want to be in the picture with the other oooohhhh�s because it has to be a good one. That has to be placed above the bed, no in the living room. Shirt on, shirt off. Hat on, hat off. Borrow cool sunglasses if needed. Next you laugh at the person arriving last and tell him you nearly climbed it twice, including an easy pie-break (you can�t lie). Descending you pretend to be an �abseiler�, and you try to impress you varied team by taking alternative routes, because you know the way much better of course.
Two days later you try to climb the wall at the slum in Alice Springs, a whole bunch of plaster comes down and falls on you. Ego. We still don�t know.
Saturday August 6 - Getting ready for our trip to Darwin
On Friday night we had a drink with Chris Selwood, the organiser of the World Solar Challenge. This first beer tasted
excellent after out long journey. We could still feel our jetlag; at 23.00 o�clock we were back at Annie�s. Today we prepared the
Mission Control for our trip to the North. All the equipment necessary for a successful trip was installed and tested.
We will travel North with 3 cars; 2 cars for 6 persons and a trailer. We will depart from Adelaide at about 10.00 o�clock
Sunday morning. We have quite some time to travel North, but since the nights in the South are pretty cold, we will
try to travel North a little bit faster. We are up for it!
Friday August 5 - Arrived in Adelaide
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After a journey of over 30 hours, we arrived in Adelaide. Wednesday morning, we flew at 9.30h from Schiphol Airport
to London Heathrow. With a stop in Singapore, we arrived in Sydney 19 hours later. After another flight
we finally arrived in Adelaide. After a quick bite we went to our hostel (Annie�s Place), to go to bed.
Here in Adelaide it is winter, but the weather is not too bad, about 14 degrees. We will stay here
for 2 more nights, preparing the Mission Control and other vehicles for our trip to the North.
First we have to buy tents, cooking gear and food, so we can last for 12 days.
Wednesday August 3 - Nuon Solar Team departs to Australia
9.30h: The Nuon Solar Team departs Wednesday morning with Qantas to Australia. After 2 stops, in London and Sydney,
we will arrive on Thursday the 4th of August, 22.20h local time, in Adelaide. The first couple of weeks we will explore the
track of the race. On August 18 we will arrive in Darwin, where we will further test and optimise Nuna 3.
Friday July 29 - Nuna 3 to Australia with KLMCargo
The past week everything that had to go to Australia was packed and numbered.
The last parts were finished and put in the large light case, which KLMCargo had made specially for us.
Nuna 3 was put in as last, well wrapped and packed in the Dutch flag. In Delft, the flight case was
hoisted on to a truck and brought to Schiphol Airport. It was kind of strange to see an empty workshop after
such a long time! That afternoon, the carnet (content of the case) was checked at Schiphol. That night, the team
members, together with the people of KLMCargo and the SBS6 film crew, were allowed to go on the platform.
The Boeing 747-400, from KLMCargo, with the appropriate name �Orange�, landed right in front of us. Nuna 3 was
loaded through the front into the gigantic cargo plane. Take a look at the pictures.
Sunday July 24 - Packing!
Next Friday the whole flight case with Nuna 3 and all materials will be flown to Australia.
A carnet, which describes the content of the flight case, must be approved. This weekend all things were packed and numbered.
Thursday July 21 - Nuna and Nuna baptise Nuna 3
Two young ladies (3 years and 9 months), named after our solar wagon, baptised Nuna 3 today at our farewell party.
Friends, family and sponsors were invited to come and see Nuna 3 for the last time before the team and wagon leave for Australia.
The band �Sonar 11� played the song �Gone with the Sun�, which is about Nuna 3. Despite the bad weather, the atmosphere was very good!
Tuesday July 19 - Nuna 3 in the large windtunnel
In January, the scale model of Nuna 3 was tested in the wind tunnel of the TU Delft.
Today Nuna 3 will go into a large wind tunnel of the DNW in Emmeloord. The capacitance values of
the solar wagon in ideal circumstances are known, but the influence of the solar panel,
the seams of the wheel flaps en the stickers were unknown.
Sunday July 17 - Last test are over
The last tests on the RDW in Lelystad are finished. The team stayed on a camping, just a couple of kilometres from the track,
so they didn�t have to come from Delft every morning. New top speed: 130 km/h.
Friday July 15 - Formula 1 pilot Christijan Albers tests Nuna 3
Nuna 3 is ready! And how! Today we had a wonderful day at the testing circuit of the RDW in Lelystad.
Today, Holland�s best driver and Formula-1 pilot Christian Albers traded his Minardi for our solar race wagon.
In no time, he reached the 118 km/h, like he had forgotten it wasn�t his Formula 1 wagon he was racing in.
Immediately a new record for Nuna 3. Truly a good day, lovely wheather, Nuna 3 in top condition and everybody happy.
The day is not over yet. Before we set up our tents at the camping in Lelystad, the recordings for the show �Klokhuis� are being done. During the World Solar Challenge in September, the show about Nuna 3 will be transmitted.
Friday July 8 - Anti skid course
Today we all followed an anti skid and increased driving skills course. At Slotemakers in
Zandvoort we received instructions on how to drive on the skid-runway (brake and avoid obstacles),
the under-steer and over-steering circle, the slalom track and a winter sports slope. We think it's very
important that all the team members, not only the race-drivers of the Nuna 3, can drive safely..
During the course it became clear who was good in steering and controlling a vehicle. Since the couriers of
Nuna 3 will be selected this weekend, this will be an indication of who has a chance to be chosen.
Thursday July 7 - First aid course and fire fighting
This week we will be working on the general background and knowledge of the team members.
Together with the support team, we followed a first aid and fire fighting course on Monday and Thursday.
All general topics of aid assistance were taken into consideration during the course. Specific Australian problems
were also explained, which was very useful. The second day was about fire prevention and fire fighting,
very important to guarantee a safe race in Australia of course.
July 2005 - Sonar11 writes a song about Nuna 3
The Dutch band Sonar11 wrote the song �Gone with the Sun�. This song was written especially for Nuna 3.
, you can listen to the song, if you click on �media�. On their website, you can listen to the song, if you click on 'media'
The song will be used during the Nuna 3 campaign.
Sunday July 1 - Second day of test runs
Today we were able to do a lot more testing. In the morning it was very cloudy, but
luckily it didn�t start to rain. Job, Sander and Oskar drove some test rounds. We are still taking it slow. Top speed until now: 104 km/
Friday July 1 - Test drives
Today the first official test runs of Nuna 3 on the testing circuit of the RDW in Lelystad.
We arrive in Lelystad at 9 o�clock in the morning and start preparing the wagon. Around noon we can start
racing, but the weather is not good. The track is wet and it is too risky to get the car wet, because not
everything is completely waterproof yet. In the afternoon we can start racing. Bart, team member Nuna 1, is
driving Nuna 3. He has driven a lot of kilometres in the past 2 Nuna�s, so he is able to detect the differences in
steering and stability. After Bart, Barend and Frank drive their first Nuna 3 kilometres.
Wednesday June 22 - A little bit of rest
Rest! Everybody has a day off to relax and regain energy. Floating in the pool and drinking champaign.
And of course cutting out newspaper articles.
The next days we will be adjusting different parts and we will start producing spare parts for Australia.
Tuesday June 21 - Media presentation
Media presentation! Tonight, Nuna 3 had a safe stay in the pit-box on Zandvoort. The team
leaves at already 6 o�clock in the morning, to prepare the last couple of things for the presentation.
At 7.30 we arrive in Zandvoort. Tire check, applying wheel covers and checking if all telemetry works.
At 9.15, the first journalists and photographers arrive. The media presentation starts at 10 o�clock with a speech from Jorrit.
He introduces all the team members. After his speech, there are 2 short speeches from Jan Hol, director of Nuon and
Hans van Luijk, president of the Board of Directors of the TU Delft. And than the moment is there: Nuna 3 is presented to the whole country.
Monday June 20 - The last day before the media presentation
Monday morning 0.25h: Nuna 3 on wheels.
Today we are allowed to make some runs at the testing circuit in Zandvoort in the evening. Several things still need to be taken care of before the presentation. Around 17.00 o�clock, Nuna 3 is ready and we can drive to Zandvoort with the trailer and bus. Nuna 3 will be racing for the first time! Because Job is also the one who will be racing during the media presentation, he is the one to drive the first runs. Super to see Nuna 3 come flying by for the first time.
Friday June 10 - Deadlines!
The week before the media presentation. The building of Nuna 3 has to be finished because we will be racing on the 21st at Zandvoort.
The important things that still need to be done this week are to further develop the steering system, building in of the
rear wheel suspension and attaching the solar cells. From Monday till Thursday, it was very hectic; the
pressure was high because the care had to be finished and a lot needed to be done. At the end
of the week it al seems feasible and it seems that Nuna 3 is a step closer. During the weekend we keep working, to
make it possible to let Nuna 3 drive and to do some tests before we go to Zandvoort.
Friday June 10 - Nuna 3 painted
Nuna 3 has returned from Akzo Nobel Car Refinishes to the workplace on Thursday afternoon, all smooth and shining! This weekend the
whole assembly-story begins. The goals is to have everything ready by Monday, except for the steering system and all electronics.
When that is done, the invitations for the media presentation can be sent, and there will be no way back:)
The atmosphere is pretty good, we�re going for it. The presentation is coming up and the pressure is increasing.
