40 + years of HPV racing in Michigan

Information about 40th annual Michigan HPV Rally is below,  dated Feb. 7.

By Mike Eliasohn 

June 7-8, 2025, will be (or was, depending on when you read this) the 40th annual Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Rally, but HPV racing / gatherings in Michigan go back more than 40 years.

It started on July 11, 1982, when Monroe County Cycling conducted its first annual River Raisin Tour.  The author of this article, then living in Cass City, and Terry Gerweck of Monroe, who was one of the organizers of the RRT, had both built recumbent bicycles, so decided to invite other recumbent riders.  (I had previously lived in Monroe, where Terry and I bonded over a mutual interest in non-usual bicycles.)

The result was six recumbent riders participating in the RRT that day, riding 31 or 62 miles. Terry on his Dragonwind, the second recumbent he built; Mike on his first homebuilt; Doug Kelly of Farmington on his homebuilt Tiara; and three riders on production Avatars (long wheelbase with under-seat steering), Reuben Chapman of Ann Arbor; Bob Cook of Lapeer; and Don Beacher of Toledo.

Participating in the Monroe area River Raisin Tour July 11, 1982, were, from left, Bob Cook, Don Beecher and Reuben Chapman (hidden), all on production Avatars; Doug Kelly, homebuilt Tiara (prototype for what was intended to become a production bike), and Mike Eliasohn, homebuilt.  The sixth recumbent rider was Terry Gerweck, who presumably took the photo.

Here's Terry Gerweck on Dragonwind, the second recumbent he built, prior to (or maybe after?) the River Raisin Tour in 1982.  He was one of six recumbent riders at the event. 

The first gathering inspired Terry and Mike to organize the first Midwest HPV Rally on July 9, 1983, the evening before the second RRT.  The rally was held in the Monroe County Community College parking lot, where Terry set up a maneuverability course.  About 15 HPVs were there. The 23 people attending decided to form a Michigan - western Ohio HPV group, with Terry elected president and Garrie Hill of Granville, Ohio, treasurer. The next morning, nine HPVS (seven of which were at the rally) were ridden in the RRT.

The second Midwest HPV Rally was July 7, 1984, again in the MCCC parking lot and the evening before the RRT. The rally included a 3-mile time trial in the parking lot, won at an average speed of 22.6 mph by Jon Stinson of Plymouth on his homebuilt long wheelbase recumbent with two 27-inch wheels and a small Zzipper fairing. At the meeting following the rally, it was decided to form a chapter of the International Human Powered Vehicle  Association, with Mike E. as president and newsletter editor and Doug Kelly as treasurer.

Jon Stinson on his homebuilt recumbent won the 3-mile time trial in the Monroe County Community College parking lot that was part of the second annual Midwest HPV Rally July 7, 1984. His time was 7 minutes, 58 seconds, for an average speed of 22.6 mph.

There were at least 16 HPVS at the rally, but unlike 1983, not enough riders returned Sunday for a mass start in the RRT. 

The third rally was July 20, 1985, in conjunction with the World Hot Air Balloon Championships in Battle Creek. Others had organized races for regular bicycles at Kellogg Regional Airport, so we organized two 5-mile races for HPVs. Rick Dregne of Kenosha, Wisconsin., won the race for streamliners in Terry Hreno's Moby. In the other, Brian Bartter of Bedford, Ohio,  finished first on his prone position homebuilt two-wheeler, while Bill Frey of Grosse Pointe Farms was first in the semi-faired class on his production Tour Easy with a Super Zzipper fairing.

                                

Brian Bartter of Bedford, Ohio, won the 5-mile race for unfaired vehicles at the third annual Midwest HPV Rally July 20, 1985 in Battle Creek. To get used to the prone position, he rode his homebuilt Super B to work daily. 

Starting in 1986, the rally has been every year at the Waterford Hills sports car racing track on the grounds of the Oakland County Sportsmen's Club in Clarkston, with two exceptions: In September1989, we hosted the 15th annual International Human Powered Speed Championships, with most events at Michigan International Speedway, and about 75 competitors from the U.S., Canada and France. And in July 2009, we conducted the Michigan Human Powered International Speed Challenge at the Ford Motor Co. proving grounds near Romeo, with 54 competitors from the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, France and Slovenia.

In the early years, before creation of classes (streamliners, unfaired, etc.), trophies were awarded for first, second and third overall.  At the fourth annual rally in August 1986 – the first at Waterford Hills – were, from left, 2nd) Jon Stinson, homebuilt streamliner; Bill Frey; 1st) Byron Adams, Potterville, Cannondale upright bike; and 3rd) Jef Mallet, Grand Rapids, custom built racing bike with Breeze-Eeze fairing manufactured by his father, Gordon Mallet, of Big Rapids.  Results were based on finishing position in five events. Jon and Bill were the rally organizers.

And for those doing the math, the 2020 Michigan HPV Rally was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. If not for that, the 40th annual rally would have been in 2024.

Through 1999, the Michigan rally was on Saturday only. Starting in 1990, Mark Bannen and others organized on the next day what originally was the Delta College Challenge, then the Saginaw Valley Challenge  on the Saginaw Valley State University campus.  The Michigan rally has been on Saturday and Sunday since 2000.

The top three at the 1987 rally were, from left: 1) Roger Nelson,Dansville, Cannondale; 2) Karl Liskow, Ypsilanti, and 3) Charles Brown, Ann Arbor.  Karl made the main frame for Bad News from 20-gauge sheet steel. Charles' made his frame from pine wood, with fiberglass reinforcement around the head tube and solid fiberglass rear dropouts.

In 1995, we changed the name from Midwest Human Powered Vehicle Rally to Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Rally, likely because other HPV events were springing up in the Midwest. (I don't remember the specific reason.)

The record turnout was 50 entries in 2001, with entries coming from Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida and Ontario.

I (Mike E.) am pretty sure I am the only person who has attended all rallies so far, plus the two international events, though I missed Saturday's events in 2012 because of a conflict and one year when the rally was one day, I missed the morning events because of car troubles.

The Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Association, formed in 1984, officially came to an end in 2016 due to a lack of people willing to serve as officers, but there were enough willing to keep running the rally.

Since 2021, I and Mike Mowett have been co-organizers.  Mike M. first competed at the Michigan rally in 1988. In 1996, he was there as part of the Wayne State University HPV team. 

The start of the practical vehicle race at the 1991 rally. Riders had to run across the track to their vehicles while carrying a water-filled balloon, put the balloon in their vehicle, climb aboard (shown here) and ride almost one lap, enter the pits, exit their vehicle, then remount and ride one lap. From left, Jon Stinson, Leonard Brunkalla (in rear), Gaylord Hill, Karl Kugler and Randy Lindley. The other events at the one-day 1991 rally continue today: Sprint (top speed); one-hour time trial, and hill climb / coast down.

Erik Laurin was only 16 when he came from Lake Zurich, Ill., to race his homebuilt streamliner at the 1987 rally. The main component of the frame was a 2-1/4 inch .065 wall chromoly tube. He made the fairing from plastic foam panels, glued and taped together Minus the fairing, weight was 31 pounds.  Erik is now an M.D. and vice chairman for education and a clinical professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of California - Davis.