Text and photos by Mike Eliasohn
Neither rain, even a downpour, and "wear every layer you have" temperatures on Sunday morning, were enough to deter dedicated HPVers from making the rounds of the Waterford Hills sports car racing track in Clarkston on May 21-22, 2022.
The 37th annual rally attracted 20 competitors or vehicles, apparently the same number as at the 2021 rally. (Riders competing on more than one bike, and college teams with multiple riders using the same bike make competitor/vehicle counts less than perfect.)
I (Mike E.) suspect high gas prices and the forecast of possible rain and thunderstorms all day Saturday, then rain overnight Saturday into Sunday, kept some people away.
But competitors did come from as far as Iowa, Tennessee and Wisconsin, and places closer, of course, and one spectator came from Minneapolis.
Our special thanks to Dennis Grelk. He and his mother, Marge, drove all the way from Donnellson, Iowa (over 1,000 miles round-trip) bringing three HPVs. In addition to competing, he ran the transponder timing system, helped get people to the starting line, and compilled the results.
Rain Saturday morning delayed the start of the combined one-hour time trial to 12:30. That is, the one-hour time trial for streamliner, streetliner and tricycle classes was supposed to start at 9:30 and the one-hour for all other classes at 11, but we combined all classes into one, which hurt Dennis (any others?) who had a streamliner and his stock-class low racer, so only raced the latter (finishing 1st in class).
A dry afternoon enabled us to get in all the other scheduled events – hill climb/coast down, hot laps and urban transportation contest. There were no tricycles, so no tricycle race.
In addition to competing on his Morciglio M1, Mike Mowett of Detroit was co-organizer of the rally (along with Mike Eliasohn), set up and took down the timing equipment (some of which he made), handled the insurance and did anything else that needed doing.
Also among the missing were any junior class competitors (age 15 and younger on stock class vehicles) and no official women’s entries. I (Mike E.) believe two University of Toronto women did compete in some events, but due to UT team members switching vehicles, sometimes during individual events, it wasn’t possible for those doing the scoring to keep track of who was riding.
Hence the results list “UT one,” “UT two,” etc., not individual riders.
We also got a late start on Sunday as we waited for the track to dry from overnight rain. But we got all events in – the flying start 200-foot sprints and combined the two short-course (no hill) road races into one.
We made enough from entry fees and donations to break even financially (expenses were the track rental fee and insurance), but unfortunately, there was no “excess” to use for prize money.
Katodi Kabwana, 21, drove from his home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to compete, but what a journey in life he has taken. He was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, traveled with his family to Rwanda and then Uganda (all three countries are in central Africa), before coming to the United States with his mother when he was 15. (His sister came later.) They settled in Memphis, where Katodi’s interest in bicycles led to his meeting HPV competitors Peter and Ishtey Amminger (father and son). Then Katodi’s mom, Bridget, got a job in Cedar Rapids in 2020, so the moved there and the Ammingers arranged for him to compete in Dennis Grelk’s HPV races there last September. Then, since the Ammingers were planning to come to the Michigan rally from Memphis, they encouraged him to also come. Kadtodi raced a Rotator Tiger owned by Peter. Back in Cedar Rapids, he is attending a community college to improve his English language skills, with the ultimate goal of graduating from college and becoming an airline pilot.
Members of the University of Toronto Human Powered Vehicle Design Team (hpvdt.skule.ca) took advantage of the Saturday morning rain delay to work on two bikes. From left, Bill Kong, Calvin Moes and Zack Fine. The team came with 10 students, two student-built streamliners, the low racer on the table and a carbon fiber upright bike and and two manufactured recumbents. The team last competed at the Michigan rally in 2018.
Here's the link to all the results, thanks to Dennis Grelk and Mike Mowett:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fAMSCM4k9bCaUHfXS7als5Bxi_UYZaVp13qJIds1C7I/edit?fbclid=IwAR2yRSPTmNlMD651z1wdzP2-gOYpYoP5RToxFdp12lLIfol50CkMKHFyrBk#gid=1089521376
Here’s the top three in each class:
Stock (12 entries) – 1) Darryl Hanger, Greenwood, Ind., Velokraft NoCom. 315 points; 2) Ishtey Amminger, Memphis, Tenn., Cruzbike, 281; 3) Dennis Grelk, Donnellson, Iowa, homebuilt low racer, 280.
Streamllner (5 entries) – 1) John Simon, Portland, Mich., Moby streamliner, 315; 2) University of Toronto, 280; 3) Dan Glatch. Waterford, Wis., Milwaukee Flyer streamliner, 271.
Streetliner (3 entries) – 1) Jeff Hunn, North Manchester, Ind., DF XL velomobile, 345; 2) Tony Levand, Lemont, Ill., homebuilt two-wheeler, 335; 3) Eric Winn, Brighton, Blue Velo Strada velomobile, 260.
At 85, Richard Myers of Xenia, Ohio, was the oldest competitor – and it’s safe to say he’s our oldest ever. He only rode his Bacchetta Strada in the one-hour time trial (shown here) and hot laps on Saturday. ”I’m not competing. I’m here to ride,” he said prior to one-hour.
Getting ready for the start of the combined one-hour early Saturday afternoon. Due to Saturday morning’s rain delay, the scheduled two one-hour time trials that morning were combined into a single race for all 20 competitors, which started at 12:30 that afternoon.Front row, from left, Jeff Hunn, University of Toronto, Tony Levand and Mike Mowett.
Here's the top two in each class in each event:
Saturday: One-hour time trial – Stock: 1) Dennis Grelk, 19 laps at average speed of 26.154 mph/42.09 kph, 2) Mike Mowett. Streamliner: 1) John Simon, 19 laps at average speed of 26.059 mph/41.94kph, 2) Dan Glatch. Streetliner: 1) Jeff Hunn, 19 laps at average speed of 25.744 mph/41.43 kph, 2) Tony Levand.
John Simon of Portland, won the streamliner class in his Moby streamliner. Terry Hreno of Indiana built it in 1984 and sold it to John in 1988, He's been racing it ever since.
Hill climb – Stock: 1) Zach Fine, University of Toronto, UT upright carbon fiber Zephyr, 20.262 seconds,(1st overall); 2) Daryl Hanger, 22.890. Streamliner: 1) Bill Kong, UT, UT Vortex streamliner, 24.285 sec., 2) Calvin Moes, UT, Vortex, 25.573. Streetliner: 1) Eric Winn, 27.416 sec., 2) Jeff Hunn, 28.174.
From a standing start, competitors race up the hill (the hill climb time), stop pedaling and then coast as far as they can without pedaling. They mark where they stopped with chalk on the pavement.
Coast down – Stock: 1) Dennis Grelk, homebuilt low racer, 2) Mike Mowett. Streamliner: Dennis Grelk, Baracuda streamliner (1st overall), 2) Bill Kong (2nd overall). Streetliner: 1) Jeff Hunn (3rd overall), 2) Tony Levand.
Hot laps – Stock: 1) Ishtey Amminger, fastest lap, 28.50 mph/45.87 kph, 2) Daryl Hanger. Streamliner: 1) Dennis Grelk, 29.43 mph/47.36 kph (fastest overall). Streetliner: 1) Tony Levand, 28.62 mph/46.06 mph, 2) Jeff Hunn.
When it comes to practicality, conventional upright bikes can have their advantages. Dave Johnson of Olivet, shown here starting the hillclimb, won the urban transportation contest on his Specialized Stumpjumper.
Urban transportation contest – The four competitors were scored on their time and ranking in the hill climb, ranking in the coast down, obstacle course time (a simple test of acceleration, maneuverability and braking) and points and ranking in the evaluation of the practicality of their vehicle. Points were awarded for lights (front and rear), fenders (front and rear), reflectors, daytime visibility, cargo carrying (minimal, one grocery bag or two), horn or bell, brakes, rearview mirrors, security against theft, convenience (getting on or in and off or out), weather protection, and carrying tools and tire pump or inflator and spare inner tube or tube repair kit.
For instance, the fastest of the four on the hill climb received 4 points; next, 3 points, etc. The rider scoring the most "practicality points" for lights, cargo carrying, etc., received 4 point; second most practicality points, 3; etc.
When the points for hill climb, coast down, obstacles course and practicality evaluation were added up, high score won.
The winner was Dave Johnson of Olivet on his upright Specialized Stumpjumper mountain bike, 13 points; 2) Dennis Grelk on his homebuilt long wheelbase recumbent and 3) tie between Daryl Hanger and Calvin Rieder 8 points. Darryl rode a Cruzbike S40 towing a trailer, handy for transporting his 22-month old daughter (back home in Greenwood, Ind., he usually tows the trailer with his Catrike recumbent tricycle, and sometimes also uses the trailer for hauling groceries.
Calvin, from the University of Toronto, rode a manufactured SpeedMachine medium wheelbase recumbent with front and rear suspension. He didn't ride it in the hillclimb, so teammate Lincoln MacDonald's time was used.
Dennis Grelk on his latest homebuilt finished second in the urban transportation contest. It's designed for riding on any type of road, including gravel, but not offroad. Steering is by two rods with pivots at the handlebar and fork ends.
Sunday – Flying start 200-foot sprints (top speed event): Stock – 1) Mike Mowett, 40.38 mph/64.99 kph, 2) Dennis Grelk, 38.74 mph/62.35 kph. Streamliner – 1) Calvin Moes, University of Toronto, Vortex, 43.32 mph/69.72 kph, 2) Bill Kong, UT, Vortex, 42.4 mph/68.30 kph. Streetliner – 1) Jeff Hunn, 39.37 mph/63.36 kph, 2) Tony Levand, 38.03 mph/61.20 kph.
20-lap short course road race: Stock - 1) Daryl Hanger, average speed 22.442 mph, 18 laps, 2) Ishtey Amminger. Streamliner – 1) John Simon, 24.906 mph (2nd overall, 19 laps), 2) Univ. Toronto 1. Streetliner – 1) Tony Levand, 26.231 mph (1st overall, 20 laps), 2) Jeff Hunn (3rd overall, 19 laps).
Ishtey Amminger of Memphis, Tenn., on his front-wheel-driver Cruzbike leads a streamliner ridden by ? in Sunday morning's road race. The short course eliminates the hill seen in the background. Ishtey completed 16 laps, good for 2nd in the stock class.
Jeff Hunn in his DF XL velomobile is about to lap this University of Toronto rider on the student-built Zephyr carbon fiber frame bike. Jeff completed 19 laps at an average speed of 24.155 mph in the short course road race, good for 3rd place overall.
Eric Winn of Brighton prepares to unload his Blue Velo Strada from the roof of his motor vehicle prior to the start of Sunday morning's competition. Purchased used, he has owned it since 2014.
What looks unusual here is unusual. It's Jim Northrup of Ypsilanti starting the hill climb on his Alenax lever drive bike. When the pedal attached to one lever arm is going up, the other is going down, so at one point in each pedal stroke, both feet will be next to each other. Jim brought two of the three Alenax bikes he owns to the rally. Alenax lever drive bikes were manufactured in Taiwan from about 1983-1993.
Here's two YouTube videos from Daryl Hanger:
