In the film ‘Chariots of Fire’, two Oxford University dons discuss the sprinting prowess of Harold Abrahams as he attempts to break a record that has stood since time immemorial.
“Do they say he can run?” one asks. “Like the wind,” replies the other.
But they hadn’t reckoned on Mac Gaunaa and Robert Mikkelsen, two senior researchers from DTU, who recently broke a record of their own by going faster than the wind.
With the help of their team of students, their Danish wind-powered car moved faster than the wind, reaching a speed equal to 101.8 percent of its speed, at the 2016 Racing Aeolus Den Helder in Netherlands two weeks ago.
“We’ve been saying for nine years now that we want to beat the 100 percent, and this year we made it happen,” Gaunaa rejoiced.
READ MORE: DTU dominant in Dutch winds
The Danes also won the Racing Aeolus Den Helder 2016 Cup, with an average score of 92.59 percent in 38 races.
The three-day event is one of the largest sustainability races in the world, and it took place in Netherlands for the ninth time this year.
The track of Racing Aeolus Den Helder is a 5.3 km seawall.
Participants have to ride their unique, custom designed, built and tested wind-powered vehicles straight against the wind .
However, it is not only a racing competition, but one that assesses the use of the most modern materials and the latest wind technology.
