- More than 4000 square kilometres burned
- Barrow Creek pub threatened
- Audi A1 1.6 TDI fires through
Day 3, 18 Oct 2011 - The Stuart Highway linking Darwin and Alice Springs was reopened yesterday after having been closed on Monday by a 4200 square kilometre raging bushfire causing the 2011 Veolia World Solar Challenge to be suspended.
With the road, closed the Audi A1 1.6 TDI holed up on Monday night at Tennant Creek where its official fuel consumption was calculated by event adjudicators, showing 3.4 litres/100km, a significant reduction from the 3.7 litres/100km recorded on Sunday on the run out of Darwin to Katherine.
Monday's run from Katherine to Tennant Creek saw the Audi covering 674 kilometres averaging around 80km/h, and yesterday's run from Tennant Creek to Alice Springs was about 510km.
A vicious wind, partly from the side and partly head-on – which had fanned the bushfires – did not help yesterday's fuel economy goals. Passing through scrubland which was ablaze as firefighters burned breaks added to the excitement for the crew of motoring journalist Bob Jennings and partner Liz Blieschke.
The first official control point of the day was scheduled to be at Barrow Creek but was shifted further south to Ti Tree after the bushfire had burned to the pub's backdoor. Residents of the area were evacuated.
Pub and roadhouse owner Lex Pilton said while the fire had burned through the water supply pipe from his tanks to the pub, he'd also lost a puppy, his water tanker and an ancient Toyota Crown. He eyed off the Audi A1 1.6 TDI before it headed south again with a fleet of solar cars.
Leading the event yesterday was the Japanese Tokai University team while the highest-placed Australian team was Aurora, running fourth.
The Audi A1 1.6 TDI is running as part of the event to demonstrate its leading-edge economy technology which includes an automatic engine stop-start function for city driving, the use of lightweight construction materials, low drag coefficient for improved highway economy and low rolling resistance tyres.