22 October 2013 - The Philippine team in the 2013 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia that took the Bronze Medal in the Adventure Class Category of the race visited the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney on October 16.

Composed of faculty and students of De La Salle University (DLSU), led by Director for External Relations and Internationalization Office Alvin Culaba and Chairman of Industrial Engineering Department Mr. Richard Li, the team called on Consul General Anne Jalando-on Louis during their stay in Sydney en route to returning to Manila. The group was accompanied by Mr. Romy Cayabyab, a Filipino-Australian media practitioner in New South Wales who covered the competition.

Having witnessed the competition, Mr. Cayabyab spoke well of the team’s discipline and unity which contributed to their victory in the race.

The team built and drove the solar car Sikat II-A which finished third place in the 3,000-kilometer race from Darwin to Adelaide from  October 6 to 11. In the same category, Australia’s Aurora Evolution took the gold medal in the Adventure Class, followed by Chile’s Antakari which got the silver medal. A total of 42 teams from 24 countries took part in the race across three categories, Challenger Class, Cruiser Class and Adventure Class.

According to the team, it took them seven months to build and refine the Sikat II-A. They said that the project was supported by Philippine companies such as Energy Development Corporation, First Gen, First Philippine Holdings, SunPower Corporation, Shell Philippines, and UFL.

Consul General Anne Jalando-on Louis congratulated the team for garnering the Bronze Medal in the Adventure Class Category and urged the team members  to continue working and innovating and to sustain their participation in the solar car challenge in Australia. END