Dutch win Australian solar car race

Dutch entry Nuna broke the race record on its first attempt

By CNN's Grant Holloway

ADELAIDE, Australia (CNN) -- A Dutch solar-powered car has won this year's World Solar Challenge race down the middle of the Australian continent.

Nuna, the first ever Dutch entry in the race, travelled the 3000 kilometers from the Northern Territory city of Darwin to Adelaide, the capital of South Australia in a record-breaking 32 hours and 39 minutes.

Nuna crossed the Adelaide finish line Thursday morning after setting out from Darwin on Sunday.

The car, which relied totally on energy gathered from the sun for propulsion, managed an average speed of 91.81 kilometers an hour (57.05 miles per hour) for the journey.

The previous record of 33 hours, 32 minutes was set by Japan's Honda team in 1996.

In a tightly fought contest Australian entry Aurora was second to finish, about 50 minutes behind Nuna, while the University of Michigan car, M-Pulse, ran third.

The Nuna team had a budget of more than $1 million and was supported by Dutch astronaut Wubbo Ockels.

Thirty eight teams -- entered from universities, research institutes and industry around the world - took part in this year's race through Australia's vast central desert terrain.

The cars, which can reach speeds of up to 112 kilometers an hour (70 mph), are powered by solar cells and batteries.

The World Solar Challenge was devised as a way to motivate greater research and development of solar energy for transport needs.

The first World Solar Challenge race was held in 1987, and was the brainchild of Danish-born adventurer Hans Tholstrup.

Tholstrup was the first man to fly solo around the world without navigational aids.