Dempsey/MacCready Hour Record Prize awarded

Background: Details on the prize rules can be found at the HPVA web site
(HPVA is the North American chapter of the IHPVA)

Additional press coverage (including pictures)

Rob English's report "Circles in the Desert; an hpv hour record attempt"
Gizmag (Australia) World human powered speed record - 53.43 miles in an hour
Slashdot New Human-Powered World Hour Record
Recumbents.com Dempsey-MacCready One Hour Record Attempt

Thu Jul 6 07:36:54 2006
Date: Thu, 6 Jul 2006 07:33:25 -0700
From: Chet Kyle

Subject: Nissan Dempsey/MacCready Hour Challenge

To all concerned.

Thanks to everyone who helped put together the Nissan event, and to all of those who attended the event and the banquet. You all helped make the event one of the most successful competitions that the IHPVA and the HPVA have had over the 30 years since the first race in 1976.

The Nissan event was a perfect way to end the Dempsey/MacCready HPV Hour Prize competition. Who could have predicted the outcome, or who could have written a better script for the surprise ending? It was perfect. Perfect!

It was a pure pleasure for me to have been present at the first International Human Powered Speed Championships and the latest competition at the Nissan test track in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Thanks especially to Paul MacCready and Ed Dempsey for their generosity in making the Prize competition possible. And my heartfelt thanks to Al and Alice Krause for organizing the Nissan event. They did a fantastic job. And thanks again to all of you for providing three decades of fun and enthusiasm. It has been a grand 30 years.

Sincerely,

Chet Kyle
Cofounder of the IHPVA

PS: In case any of you don't have the results yet - below is a summary.

Highlights of the
Nissan Dempsey/MacCready Prize One Hour Challenge

A new World record of 85.991 km was set by Fast Freddy Markham riding the Varna Mephisto. Fred is 49 years old and 20 years ago in 1986 he won the Dupont Prize of $30,000 for being the first cyclist to exceed 65 mph in an HPV (65.48 mph for 200 meters with a flying start). Apparently you don't bet against Fred when prize money is involved. (By the way, Paul MacCready was responsible for initiating the Dupont prize with his connection with Richard Woodward, who was in charge of Public Relations for Dupont).

Six different machines were entered and all of them covered some distance on the track,

Five cyclists finished the complete one hour ride. There were 10 runs total.

All of the five finishers covered more distance than any past or present UCI regulation bicycle hour record - (the fastest UCI record is by Chris Boardman of England - 56.375km in 1996. The present UCI hour record is slower at 49+ km - since the year 2000, cyclists have had to ride an Eddy Merckx type standard diamond frame bike without aero wheels). Freddy beat the Boardman record by nearly 30 kilometers and the old Eddy Merckx record by over 36 km.

Wind and weather conditions were ideal during the competition, although it was very hot - over 80F most of the time. All of the riders were heat stressed to some degree but it didn't seem to slow down Markham.

There were some very fast lap times during the competition - 89.51 kph by Fred on lap 2 (5.662 mile lap), 87.52 kph by Damjan Zabovnik on lap 2, and 87.125 kph by Rob English on lap 2.  In his 2004 hour run, Matt Weaver went 90.12 kph on his second lap (2 mile lap). Obviously higher speeds are possible for the HPV hour if conditions were ideal.

Damjan Zabovnik was running over World Record pace when his front tire failed on lap 8. For seven laps, he averaged 84.739 kph and was accelerating on lap 8. If he could have completed the hour he was on a pace to beat Sam Whittingham's record of 84.215 km.

Summary

In creating the Dempsey/MacCready Prize in 1999, the original goal was to spark innovation and prove that human powered vehicles could maintain high speeds for long time periods.  This goal has certainly been accomplished in dramatic fashion.  There have been dozens of attempts at the prize since 1999.

During the seven years of the prize, the World HPV hour record has been broken five times and the distance raised from 79.136 km to 85.990 km.  Between the Battle Mountain speed event and the Dempsey/MacCready hour competition, several unique machines have been specially designed and built for these events including all of the vehicles that set the last four hour records.

Results of the
Nissan Dempsey/MacCready Prize One Hour Challenge

Nissan Test Track, June 30 - July 2, 2006, Casa Grande Arizona

Complete Hour Distances

1. Fred Markham. Vehicle - Varna Mephisto - 53.432 miles, 85.991 kilometers.
Fastest lap - 89.51 kph - lap 2. July 2, 2006.
Crashed on start, had to restart.

2. Rob English. Vehicle - Varna II - 49.836 miles, 80.203 kilometers.
Fastest lap - 87.184 kph - lap 2. June 30, 2006.

3. Matt Weaver. Vehicle - Cutting Edge - 48.672 miles, 78.330 kilometers.
Fastest lap - 84.29 kph - lap 2. July 2, 2006.
Crashed on start had to restart.

4. Steve Delaire. Vehicle - Mach 6 - 43.273 miles, 69.641 kilometers.
Fastest lap - 72.273 kph - average of laps 2 and 3. July 2, 2006

5. Craig Delaire. Vehicle - Mach 6 - 36.389 miles, 58.401 kilometers.
Fastest lap - 62.321 kph - lap 2. July 1, 2006.
Did not Finish

6. Damjan Zabovnik. Vehicle - Elvie - 52.655 mph, 84.739 kph, 7 laps.
63.785+ km. Tire flat on 8th lap.
Fastest lap - 87.52 kph - lap 2. July 1, 2006.

7. Rob English. Vehicle - Varna II - 50.010 mph, 80.482 kph, 5 laps.
45.560+ km. Rider abandoned at 6 laps, no time on 6th lap.
Fastest lap - 83.682 kph - lap 2. July 2, 2006.

8. Steve Delaire. Vehicle - Mach 6 - 43.171 mph - 69.478 kph, 4 laps.
36.448+ km. Rider abandoned on 4th lap.
Fastest lap - 75.184 kph - lap 2. June 30 2006.

9. Fred Markham. Vehicle - Varna Mephisto - 51.534 mph, 82,936 kph, 2 laps.
18.224+ km. Cluster came loose on lap 3. Had to abandon.
Crashed on start, had to restart.
Fastest lap - 89.125 kph - lap 2. July 1, 2006.

10. Rob Hitchcock. Vehicle - Kyle Edge - No time.
Crashed after start in first straight.
Assisted start after crash and made it about 1/2 lap and then abandoned.

Officials

Chief Timer: Bill Gaines.
Observers: Paul Gracey, John Tetz, George Leone, David Wilson, Tom Novak
Vehicle Inspections: Chris Broome.

Prizes

1. $18,000 - Fred Markham - 85.991 km - July 2, 2006, Casa Grande Arizona
Nissan Auto Test Track.

2. $10,000 - Sam Whittingham - 84.215 km - July 31, 2004, Dudenhofen, Germany
Opel Auto Test Track.

3. $6,000 - Matt Weaver - 82.755 km - Oct. 9, 2004, Fontana, California.
California Motor Speedway.

4. $4,000 - Damjan Zabovnik - Special prize for fastest foreign competitor
over seven laps in Nissan event. Slovinia.

5. $2,000 - Rob English - Special prize for second fastest foreign competitor
over seven laps in Nissan event. England.

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