37th annual Michigan HPV Rally May 21-22, 2022

 Rally co-organizer Mike Mowett at the 2021 Michigan HPV Rally

   The 37th annual Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Rally will be May 21-22, 2022, at the Waterford Hills sports car racing track in Clarkston, the location since 1986. 

     The oldest such event in North America is open to riders of all human powered vehicles – recumbents, streamliners, regular bicycles, tandems  and handcycles. There are classes for streamlined, unstreamlined cycles, tandems, women,  youth and tricycles. 

    The rally is conducted using Human Powered Race America rules (go to www.recumbents.com, then under “recumbent racing,” click on “Human Powered Race America,” then on “racing rules.” Note:  HPRA rules require all vehicles to have a mirroror or mirrors enabling rear  vision to both sides. 

    The track, on the grounds of the Oakland County Sportsmen’s Club, is  1.4 miles around, with nine turns and one hill. Sunday races use a shorter  course without the hill.

 

Entry fees: $25 for one day, $40 for two days. College and high school teams 
registering in advance, $35 for first vehicle and rider; $10 for each additional 
vehicle or rider. Spectators free.  (As of early-February, registration/payment will be at the rally; no online advance registration is planned, but that may change.)

Any entry fee money left after payment by organizers of track rental fee, insurance and expenses will be awarded as prize money to top finishers in each class. 

Free camping available at track Friday and Saturday nights, with indoor 
showers.

Even if you don’t want to compete, come and see some unusual 
and very fast cycles.

Tentative schedule:

SATURDAY, May 21

8 a.m. – Registration and technical inspection starts.

9:30 – One-hour time trial (streamliner, streetliner, tricycle classes).

11 – One-hour time trial (stock, junior, women, tandem classes).

Noon – lunch (as of late April, concession stand not expected to be open).

12:15 p.m. – Hot laps on short loop, all classes, ride as many laps as 
you want; your fastest lap counts, electronic timing.

1:30-2:30 – Hill climb/coast down. Race up the hill from a standing start,
then when you get to the top, start coasting. Coast as far as you can go, 
then mark your stopping point with chalk (provided). Separate scores/points 
for time up the hill and distance coasted.

After 2:30 – Tricycle race (no hill) and urban transportation contest.

Evening– eat at area restaurants or possible take-out pizza at trackside pavilion.

SUNDAY

8:30-9:30 a.m. – Flying start 200-foot sprints (all classes).

10 – Short course (no hill) road race (faired classes), about 12 miles.

11 – Short course (no hill) road race (unfaired classes), about 9 miles.

Awards ceremony after last race, expected by 12:30 p.m. Concession
stand not expected to be open.

Questions or suggestions: Contact Mike Eliasohn (mikethebike2325@comcast.net, 
269-281-0797) or Mike Mowett (mowett@aol.com, 586-863-3902)

TO GET TO THE RALLY:  From I-75, get off at exit 91. Take M-15 south 

to Dixie Hwy. (US-24). Turn left, continuing south about 1 mile and turn 
left onto Waterford Road, then proceed to track.If coming from the west, 
take U.S. 23 north (or south) to M-59 (Highland Road). Go east on M-59 
to Airport Road, then left (north) to US-24. Turn left, then immediately right
onto Waterford Road. Go about a half-mile to track.

PLACES TO STAY: 

CAMPING 

Free camping available overnight Friday and Saturday at the Waterford Hills  track, starting at 6 p.m. Friday. Restrooms, showers available and possibly electrical hookups.

STATE CAMPGROUNDS (www.michigan.gov/dnr)

Highland Recreation Area, 5200 E. Highland Road (M-59), White Lake,  248-889-3750. Two miles east of Highland. Holly Recreation Area, 8100 Grange Hall Road, Holly, 248-634-8811. Five miles  east of Holly. 

Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, 7800 Gale Road, Waterford, 248-666-1020.  Closest to Waterford Hills track, about 4 miles west. 

OAKLAND COUNTY:  Groveland Oaks County Park, 14555 Dixie Hwy., Holly,  northeast of Holly, 248-634-9811.

MOTELS  

Clarkston - Clarkston Motor Inn, 6853 Dixie Hwy. (US-10), 248-925-1522,  12 rooms, 2 miles northeast. 

Clarkston - Olde Mill Inn of Clarkston, 5835 Dixie Hwy., 248-623-0300.  Across Dixie Highway from Waterford Road leading to track. This is the  closest motel to the track.

Hartland - Best Western of Hartland, 10087 M-59 at US-23, 810-632-7177, 61 rooms. About 18 miles west. 

Waterford – Quality Inn and Suites, 7076 Highland Road (M-59),  248-666-8555, 111 rooms. About 3 miles southwest. 

Waterford – Holiday Inn Express, 4350 Pontiac Lake Road,  248-674-3434, 83 rooms. About 7 miles southwest. 

Whitmore Lake – Days Inn, 9897 Main St. (off US-23, exit 53), 734-550-0105, 61 rooms. About 33 miles southwest. 

  Note: The Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Association was formed in  July 1984 and officially came to an end Sept. 30, 2016, due to a lack of  active members willing to continue to run the organization. However, the  Michigan HPV Rally continues this year and hopefully in future years. 

   This blog, website (www.mhpva.org) and Facebook page  (www.facebook.com/mhpva) continue.

Bicycle racing in the 1920s

By Mike Eliasohn

An online friend, Jim Miller, who lives in Burbank, Calif., and usually sends me vintage auto racing photos emailed me the top three photos of the velodrome in Newark, N.J., apparently all from the 1920s.

The photographs came from one of his grandfather's photo albums, which Jim recently received.  Photos in the albums range in vintage from 1914-38. The grandfather, Eddie Miller, apparently did not take the velodrome photos, though they may have been taken while he was living in Newark, where he met his wife.

I did some online searching and easily found the history of the Newark Velodrome on the website of Classic Cycle (classiccycleus.com) on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The website has a lot of interesting information on it, including views and descriptions of the many bikes in its museum, dating back to 1885 (but no recumbents).

The Newark board track, built in 1907, was 6 laps to the mile.

It hosted world championships in 1912 and Australian Reggie McNamara set world records for distances from 1 to 25 miles on the track in 1915, '16 and '17.

Notice the crowds in the photos.  Seating capacity was 12,500, but many races drew more than 20,000 spectators (meaning many were standing).

But the land the track was siting on became too valuable to continue to use for bicycle racing, so in 1930, it was demolished, to be replaced by an apartment building.

But there was still interest in bicycle racing, so about 10 mlles to the north, a wood velodrome was constructed in Nutley, N.J., which opened in 1933.  The track was smaller than the one in Newark – 7 laps to the mile.

In its first season, it drew an average of almost 8,500 spectators to each of its 35 races.

But interest in bicycle velodrome racing was declining and the track's last season for two-wheelers was in 1937.

Then in 1938 and 1939, the track was used for midget auto racing (small open wheel race cars). But in 60 races during those two years, three drivers were killed and controversy over the danger of racing cars on the tiny high-banked (45 degrees in the turns) track and the noise contributed to its closing.

Apparently in 1940, some final bicycle races were held. (Information is unclear whether races took place, or unsuccessful attempts were made to conduct races.)  The track was torn down in early 1942.

An internet search of "Newark velodrome historic photos" included two of the above photos that my friend had sent me that were in his grandfather's photo album and this one, too good to ignore. No helmets back in the "good old days," but notice the attire of rider of the pacing motorcycle, including a tie. No information or photo credit, but the sign at upper right does say "Newark," so it is the correct track.  (The "Eddie Madden leading" photo is the one that wasn't among the historic photos posted on the internet.)

Here's a view of the entire velodrome. As it says in the caption, the venue also hosted boxing matches. (Photo from old newark.com)

Additional sources:  www.nutleyhistoricalsociety.org

www.speedwayandroadracehistory.com

The History of America's Speedways, Past and Present, by Allan E. Brown, published 1994.

old newark.com