with video: U-M solar car team in 3rd place after 2nd day of World Solar Challenge

By Cindy Heflin Associate news director

Posted on Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 7:25 a.m.

Quantum, the University of Michigan's solar car.

University of Michigan photo

The University of Michigan’s solar car team stood in third place after brush fires put a temporary halt to the World Solar Challenge in Australia on its second day.

The race started Sunday in Darwin, Australia. The four-day, 1,864-mile race will end in Adelaide later this week.

Team Tokai, of Japan was in first place and the Nuon Solar team from the Netherlands was in second, according to a press release. Minutes separated the leaders.

U-M hopes to win the race for the United States, breaking a 24-year drought for U.S. teams in the World Solar Challenge. The team racing its vehicle, Quantum, was also in third place after the first day.

The U-M team is ranked the No. 1 solar car team in America, U-M said in a press release. The team has been around for two decades, during which it has won the North American Solar Challenge six times and finished third in the world race four times, including in 2009.

The 16-member team, a product of the University of Michigan School of Engineering, has been preparing for this year’s race for two years, building a car that is 200 pounds lighter than its predecessor, Infinium.

You can follow the team on its website or get updates on the event website and watch video highlights of the U-M team's first day below.