International teams prepare for gruelling solar car race through Chilean desert
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International solar car teams were in Santiago as they gear up for a gruelling 2,600 kilometre race through some of Chile’s most rugged terrain in a trajectory that will take them from Santiago to the arid Atacama desert.Eleven teams will compete in this year’s Carrera Solar Atacama challenge which will set off from Santiago for an 8-day race. Organizers call the competition the “world’s most extreme solar race” with the route passing through the driest desert on Earth and going from altitudes of 0 to 3,400 metres above sea level. Teams put some of the finishing touches on their cars on Wednesday as they took them for test runs in preparation for the competition. Four teams will compete in the solar challenge with the other seven competing as hybrids that use both solar and man power. Eight of the competing teams are from the home country with others coming from Belgium, Bolivia and Colombia.