The story

If, by some extraordinary feat of filmic conjuring, you somehow spliced Death Race 2000, Back to the Future and Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, editing out the violence, time travel and transvestism, but keeping in the racing, futuristic cars and Australian scenery, you'd probably end up with something vaguely resembling the Panasonic World Solar Challenge.

Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Challenge is the world's premier long-distance race for solar-powered vehicles, with competitors traveling 3000 kms along the Stuart Highway from Darwin in the far north of Australia to Adelaide in the south in cars powered solely by sunlight.

In the process they not only pass through some of the most spectacular and inhospitable terrain on earth -- temperatures in the Australian outback can exceed 50 degrees Centigrade -- but also send out a strong environmental message, pushing forward the boundaries of green technology and promoting the benefits of solar power as an alternative energy source. Read full article »

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