At 12 20, Ryan left Town D for Town E, driving at a speed of 60 km/h. At 15 20, Seth also left Town D for Town E driving at a certain speed. Both of them did not change their speed throughout the journey. At 17 20, both of them passed a cafe that was 240 km away from Town E. How many minutes earlier did Seth reach Town E than Ryan?

Distance that Ryan travelled
= 5 x 60
= 300 km

Distance between Town D and Town E
= 300 + 240
= 540 km

Since Seth passed the cafe at the same time as Ryan, it means that Seth travelled 300 km in 2 hours.

Seth's speed during the journey
= 300 ÷ 2
= 150 km/h

Duration that Seth took to reach Town E after passing the cafe
= 240 ÷ 150
= 1.6 h

Duration that Ryan took to reach Town E after passing the cafe
= 240 ÷ 60
= 4 h

Difference between the time they took to reach Town E
= 4 - 1.6
= 2.4 h

1 h = 60 min
2.4 h = 2.4 x 60 = 144 min

Seth reached Town E 144 minutes earlier than Ryan.

Answer(s): 144 min