Solar Team Twente claims European title in final solar race of its kind
A victory and the start of a new chapter. Solar Team Twente has won the European Solar Challenge in Zolder, Belgium, bringing an impressive era to a close. Driving the RED E solar car from 2019, the team secured first place in the 24-hour race. At the same time, the student team is already looking ahead: after more than twenty years of solar racing, Solar Team Twente is making the switch to rally racing.
Date of Publication: 24 September 2026
Read time +/- 3.6 minutes
The victory in Belgium feels like a fitting finale for a generation of Twente innovators. During the race, former team members got behind the wheel one last time, demonstrating what years of knowledge, technology and perseverance can achieve.
Battle until the final lap
The race remained exciting until the very end. Solar Team Twente battled for the lead for hours with teams from Belgium and Germany. When rain turned the circuit into a slippery challenge, the Twente drivers kept their cool and ultimately took the lead in the closing stages.
With the victory, Solar Team Twente beat teams including Belgium’s Innoptus Solar Team and Top Dutch Solar Racing from Groningen.
Final victory for RED E
For the race, the team chose RED E, the solar car developed in 2019. The car holds a special place in Solar Team Twente’s history. Thanks to its stable handling, RED E proved it was still a strong competitor on the circuit.
For many former team members, the victory feels like a reward for years of development and innovation. The weekend also provided a unique opportunity to pass on knowledge to the latest generation of students, who will now take the next step.
From solar car to rally car
The race in Zolder marked not only a victory, but also the end of an era. Solar Team Twente is deliberately taking on a new challenge: competing in the Rallye du Maroc, one of the world’s toughest rally-raid events.
While solar racing focuses primarily on efficiency on paved roads, rally racing provides an opportunity to test electric mobility in far more extreme conditions. In the desert, technologies for batteries, energy management and off-grid electric driving will be put to the test in heat, sand, over long distances and across challenging terrain.
In doing so, the team aims to explore how sustainable mobility can also work in places where charging infrastructure is unavailable.
Twente innovation on the world stage
By winning the European Solar Challenge, Solar Team Twente has once again demonstrated what is possible when talent, technology and ambition come together. The move to the Rallye du Maroc reflects that same mindset: continuing to innovate, pushing boundaries and learning through practice.
For Twente, this once again provides an international stage where students from the region can work on technologies that contribute to the future of mobility.
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Ilja Jansen of Lorkeers
Solar Team Twente
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