The picnic pavilion at the Waterford Hills sports car racing track also made a fine work area for the University of Toronto Human-Powered Vehicles Design Team, which came with 14 students and seven vehicles – five of them student built. (Charles Brown photo)
By Mike Eliasohn
The 38th annual Michigan Human Powered Vehicle Rally June 17-18, 2023, was marked by good weather, good turnout and some records being set.
Complete results can be seen by clicking on:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1B2221AShyvPTBR3MS0w3P8PpT0O39ey6K8hmbl5o8us/edit?usp=drivesdk
Or go to recumbents.com, then HPRA racing results and photos, then 2023 Michigan HPRA Racing results.
About half the participants were from the University of Toronto Human-Powered Vehicles Design Team (www.hpvdt.ca), which came with 14 students (not all raced) and seven vehicles, three of them streamliners. Of the 11 or so years the U-T has participated in our event, I (Mike E.) think that's the most students ever.
Due to lack of time, interest or entrants, three scheduled events on Saturday were not held – hot laps, tricycle race and the urban transportation contest. There were no junior class entrants (15 and younger).
Jonathan Walters of Cincinnati on his NoCom low racer waits for the start of the hill climb on Saturday afternoon. He won the stock class (18 entries) and set a record for the stock class 1-hour, 28.2 miles. (Mike Eliasohn photo)
Here's the top finishers in each class:
Streamliners (5 entries) – 1) Dennis Grelk, Donnellson, Iowa, Cuda W streamliner, built by Warren Beauchamp, 337 points; 2) John Simon, Portland, Moby streamliner, 297; 3) Univ. of Toronto, various riders, 220.
Streetliner (2 entries) – 1) Jeff Hunn, North Manchester, Ind., DF XL velomobile, 300; 2) Charles Brown, Southfield, homebuilt two wheeler with silver "torso" fairing, 110.
Stock (18 entries) – 1) Jonathan Walters, Cincinnati, Ohio, NoCom low racer, 340; 2) Dennis Grelk, homebuilt low racer, 700c wheels, 311; 3) Thom Ollinger, West Milton, Ohio, Morciglio Raptor, 286.
Women (1 entry) – 1) Claire Nolet, Univ. of Toronto, Speedmachine recumbent, 180.
Tricycles (1 entry) – 1) Marshall Randall, Rockford, GreenSpeed Aero, 60 points.
Marshall Randall on his GreenSpeed Aero only had time for the 1-hour time trial Saturday morning before having to leave. His average of 23.5 miles was a record for the tricycle class; the old mark of 20.5 miles was set in 2008. Marshall is director of sales and marketing for WizWheelz in Grand Rapids, maker of TerraTrike and GreenSpeed recumbent tricycles. (Marilyn Solomon photo)
Here's the top two in each class in each event (if only one is listed, that's all who competed):
One-hour time trials: Stock – 1) Dennis Grelk, 28.62 miles/46.06 km, 2) Jonathan Walters, 28.207/ 45.39. Streamliner – 1) Dennis Grelk, 31.8 miles/51.18 km, 2) John Simon, 27.51 / 44.27. Streetliner – 1) Jeff Hunn, 25.44 miles/40.85 km. Women – 1) Claire Nolet, 19.922 miles/32.06 km. Trike – 1) Marshall Randall, 23.47 miles / 37.77 km (record).
Dennis' bike fits the requirements of the now defunct super stock class and he exceeded the old super stock record of 26.7 miles, set in 2004. Meanwhile, Jonathan broke the old stock class record of 27.7 miles, set in 2005. Both old marks were held by Frank Geyer, aka "Franknspeed."
Hill climb: Stock – 1) J. Walters, 19.522 seconds, 2) Mike Mowett, Detroit, Cervelo upright bike, 20.272 sec. Streamliner – 1) Ethan Elba, U-T Tempest, 23.315, 2) Lincoln MacDonald, U-T, Tempest, 24.211. Streetliner – 1) J. Hunn, 29.778, dnf) Charles Brown, chain broke. Women – 1) C. Nolet, 28.018 sec,
Coast down (when riders get to top of hill, they stop pedaling, the coast as far as they can go, then mark where they stopped with chalk mark on pavement. Finishing order recorded, but not how far they coasted. Some U-T riders chose to keep pedaling back to the start line for another hill climb attempt or to the pits, so didn't compete in the coast down): Streamliner – 1) D. Grelk, 2) L. MacDonald. Stock – 1) D. Grelk, 2) T. Ollinger. Streetliner – 1) J. Hunn.
Dennis Grelk has successfully raced his homebuilt low racer for many years, but has added fabric to cover any "gaps" for added streamlining, which is legal in the stock class. He finished second in the class. He also raced his streamliner, ran the timing system and drove with his mother, Mary, from Donnellson, Iowa – more than 1,000 miles round-trip. (Marilyn S. photo)
Dennis Grelk won the streamliner class in his Cuda W streamliner, built by Warren Beauchamp. (Charles B. photo)
SUNDAY EVENTS
A new "non-hill" course was used for the road races, in place of the course used for the past several years. A lap was .624 mile, or just over 1 kilometer.
20-lap road race (12.5 miles/20 km): Stock – 1) D. Grelk, 27 minutes at an average speed of 27.7 mph/44.6 kph, 2) J. Walters. Streamliner – 1) L. MacDonald, U-T Vortex, 17 laps completed, 22.25 mph/35.8 kph, 2) C. Nolet, U-T Tempest, 4 laps completed.
One of the three University of Toronto streamliners. (Marilyn S. photo)
25-lap road race (15,6 miles/25 km): Streamliners – 1) D. Grelk, 33.16 minutes at average speed of 28.13 mph / 45.26 kph, 2) J. Simon. Streetliner – 1) J. Hunn, 22 laps at average speed of 34.4 mph / 38.2 kph. Stock – 1) C. Nolet, Speedmachiner, 19 laps at average speed of 20.4 mph / 32.8 kph. 2) Ian Wu and Dylan Ngan (change of riders), U-T, Baron low racer, 16 laps.
200 foot sprints (top speed event): Streamliner – 1) Bill Kong, U-T Vortex, 44.22 mph / 71.16 kph. (Note: Final run of the day and Kong's only run), 2) D. Grelk, 41.99 mph /67.57 kph. Stock – 1) J. Walters, 41.51 mph / 66.81 kph, 2) D. Grelk, 39.61 mph / 63.74 kph. Streetliner –1) J. Hunn, 38.05 mph / 61.24 kph. No women's or tricycle entries.
It's been a few years since Cyrus Furbush competed at the Michigan HPV Rally. He made his return by pedaling his M5 high racer 66.5 miles / 107 km from his home in Tecumseh to the track. He said he started about 7 p.m. Friday and arrived at 4 a.m. Saturday. At the track, he had to remove the lights and rear carrier rack and everything he carried for two nights of camping, then Sunday afternoon, reverse the process. He then pedaled home, arriving about 1 a.m. Monday. He's shown here waiting to start the hill climb Saturday afternoon.
Jeff Hunn of North Manchester, Ind., had the only velomobile at this year's rally, a carbon fiber DF XL, and won the streetliner class over one other competitor. Vehicles in the class can have any number of wheels, any number of riders, wheel discs/covers and some type of fairing. (Mike E. photo)
It was not the best of Michigan HPV Rallies for Charles Brown of Southfield, the other streetliner competitor. He started Saturday morning with his wearable fairing made of 1-inch construction foam (that is, he puts the fairing on, then gets on the bike). (Marilyn S. photo)
But he had problems with the fairing, so by Saturday afternoon's hill climb, his homebuilt bike was naked. But on one of three rides up the hill, the chain broke. (Mike E.)
Rally co-organizer Mike Mowett of Detroit gets an assist from Tedd Wheeler to stay upright before starting the hillclimb. Mike also competed on his Morciglio M1 low racer. He and Dennis Grelk, in addition to handling timing and scoring and other duties, were the only solo (that is, non U-T) competitors to race their own two bikes. (Hannah Dempster photo)
Here's Mike on his Morciglio M1, waiting to start the hill climb.
Ishtey Amminger, who started competing in the Michigan rally in the junior class in 2015 at age 12, this year had to drive from his job at a summer camp in Arkansas to the home of his father, Peter, in Memphis, Tenn., and they then drove to Waterford Hills (and the reverse). On his Cruzbike Vendetta, Ishtey finished 6th in the stock class. (Hannah D. photo
Mike Denninger of Bedford, Mass. (about 1,640 miles round-trip) first raced his homebuilt low racer at the 2017 Michigan rally, then returned this year. For more information, see the article on this blog, "Two nice homebuilts at Michigan HPV Rally," posted July 16, 2017. (Mike E. photo)
John Simon of Portland, finished second in the streamliner class in his Moby streamliner. Terry Hreno of Connorsville, Ind., built it in 1984 and sold it to John in 1988, He's been racing it ever since. (Marilyn S. photo)
After the racing was over Sunday, the University of Toronto Human-Powered Vehicles Design Team posed for this photo. (Mike E. photo)
Note: If you see anything in this report that needs correcting or should be added, please email me at mikethebike2325@comcast.net. Mike E.
More photos and/or videos from:
Hannah Dempster, University of Toronto: https://photos.app.goo.gl/gt92KeiXnQtn1C329
Marilyn Solomon: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ikgS9Rqe8VCbA3TM8
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