The 24-hour endurance race tested the car’s engineering, the team’s strategy and its ability to keep going under pressure.

The team competed in its third solar car, which took second place in the Cruiser class in Australia in 2025. This time, Solaride faced student teams from across Europe in the world’s only 24-hour solar car endurance race.

“Third place is a strong result for us. We gained valuable experience in finding solutions under pressure, working as a team and seeing things through to the end. The race was an important step in our preparations for the 2027 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge,” said Solaride CEO Kevin Kaljumäe.

Throughout the race in Belgium, the team had to monitor the car’s energy use and adapt to changing track and weather conditions. Success in a solar car endurance race depends on more than speed: energy efficiency, reliability, driver performance and teamwork are just as important.

“We had to change our strategy several times during the race and respond to situations we could not have planned for,” said Solaride’s chief engineer, Mihkel Ruul. “Twice, it looked as though we might have to withdraw, but we diagnosed the problems quickly and solved them with limited tools. Over the 24 hours, we spent about five hours repairing the car. All the while, we had to assess how each change would affect energy use and our race strategy. The team’s quick response kept us in the race and ultimately helped us secure third place.”