The organisers of this year’s inaugural Ilanga Cup Solar Challenge say the event will be back next year, albeit in a somewhat different format.

The 2023 edition will return to the Red Star Raceway, in Delmas, on July 5 and 6.

“We are thrilled to officially launch the highly anticipated Ilanga Cup Solar Challenge for 2023,” says race director Robert Walker.

“The inaugural event made great impact on the region. We have received lots of interest from schools and universities across Southern Africa that want to participate in the solar challenge.

“As the event focuses on driving the innovation of renewable energy within the transportation sector, it is important that we get young people involved and give them the platform to experiment with different energy concepts in order to contribute towards sustainable mobility,” adds Walker.

The Ilanga Cup Solar Challenge is Southern Africa’s first closed track endurance challenge.

The event has been created for teams to put their solar vehicles to the test in a controlled environment, designed to measure the vehicles' performance, efficiency and durability.

Next year’s event will incorporate some new features for the solar car teams.

Among other changes, the event is moving from an eight-hour to a 24-hour endurance challenge.

This will see teams truly test their vehicles, as well as push the limit of solar technology during both day and night settings.

“The Ilanga Cup is the first-ever solar challenge in Africa to conduct a 24-hour solar event,” notes Walker.

“We believe that, with this format, the participating teams will be able to gather useful data for the development and further improvement of solar technologies for sustainable transportation.”

Registration for the 2023 Ilanga Cup Solar Challenge is now open.