From Gerry:

  1. Ularu is off the direct route of the record attempt
    on a spur road. It is a side trip of 500 km round
    trip. I’m sure this is just an iconic visualisation
    for your readers…
  2. My route started outside the Atrium Hotel, on the
    start line of the World Solar Challenge. I started
    about 30 minutes after the Solar Car Race departed,
    October 1996. I followed their route to finish in
    Rundle Mall in the heart of Adelaide. The distance was
    quoted by them as 3035km.

I was only riding about 19 hours a day (with rest
periods in the heat of the day and at night), which is
slower than I would race in RAAM, but necessary
because I was still fatigued and recovering from the
1996 Race Across America which ended nine weeks
before.

Although the road was completely sealed ahead of the
1987 WSC, the surface is brutally rough in places, and
the cattle grates (grids) have some gaps that will
swallow bike wheels. The solar cars have crew vehicles
dedicated to leapfrogging and laying plywood over the
grates to avoid these holes, and to minimise vibration
damage to their expensive solar arrays, and
electronics.

It was amusing for me to ride my record attempt
“within the race” of solar vehicles. My progress
through the night would allow me to catch up with many
entrants, and often get a cheer from their campfire
crowds. The next day we would pass on the road – each
solar car and it’s caravan of vehicles (numbering from
three up to seven), passing me and my crew of three in
one van.

My record time for Darwin to Adelaide across Australia
was 5 days, 19 hours, 12 minutes.

This placed me between the 7th and 8th WSC finishers.

At any time, the wilderness and empty road conditions
generally, make the ride a dream, and at night the
endless canopy of stars are fantastic.

However, if the timing were possible, I recommend
Rainer ride his record attempt during another WSC.
The next race is October 22, 2007. This makes the ride
even more fun, and there is and extra veil of security

  • road trains are looking out for slow moving
    vehicles…

Cheers.

Gerry Tatrai