The participants of the European Solar Challenge will be competing for the FUTECH Solar Cup.

That FUTECH the main sponsor is of the European Solar Challenge is not that strange, because the owners of FUTECH, Pieter Vangeel and Ismaël Ben-Al-Lal, have much in common with solar races / challenges.

In 2006/2007 they where both teammembers of the Umicore Solar Team. Together with 12 other students of the university GroupT, they developed and built the Umicore Infinity solarcar.

Pieter was the team leader and Ismaël one of the two pilots who has driven 2300 kms of the3000 kms in the World Solar Challenge 2007 at Australia, they became vice-world champion.

FUTECH develops solar panels and builds photovoltaic installations for the industrial market as well for the private sector. Today, FUTECH is one of the markt leaders in the photovoltaic sector in Belgium, they belong to the TOP 3.