Photos: Solar racers gain speed Down Under

The Umicore Solar Team from Belgium finished in second place. Their car is shown here as it crosses the finish line in Adelaide.

The team made good on its goal of besting its previous finish. In the last race, in 2005, their car came in 11th. This year's 14-member team worked on their car for a year and a half and was backed by more than 70 companies.

Photo by Panasonic World Solar Challenge