The weather gods looked kindly on Rotterdam this past week and decided not to interfere with 3,000 students racing for fuel efficiency records in 2014’s Shell* Eco-marathon Europe. Bathed in sunlight, the competitors drove their self-built cars to record-breaking efficiency.

As expected, students of Lycee Saint-Joseph la Joliverie from France prolonged their title in the prototype class by driving 10 laps on the street circuit on just a couple of drops of fuel. Calculations showed they would be able to continue driving for 3,314.9 kilometers on a single liter of gasoline (7,797 miles per gallon): a new circuit record.

Students of the Hogeschool van Amsterdam also set a circuit record with a score of 428.5 kilometers (266 miles) per kilowatt hour with