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| Whittingham: Record breaker |
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The World Human Powered Speed Challenge always promised to break records,
and so far the event has more than lived up to expectations.
Held at Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA, from 1 October, the week-long contest
brought together human-powered vehicles (HPV) and riders from around the
world in a struggle to go as fast as humanly possible.
On the first day, Whittingham reinforced his title as the fastest man on
Earth under his own power when he shattered the existing world land speed
record of 117.07kph/ 72.75mph, set at the same event last year.
Riding Varna Diablo, the 29-year-old Canadian registered an average speed of
123.12kph/76.62mph over the recorded 200m distance.
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On the same day, the American pair of 'Fast' Freddy Markham and Chris
Springer, riding for the Easy Racers team, also recorded an historical
achievement by breaking their own world record for the tandem category with
a speed of 107.6kph/66.87mph over 200m.
Whittingham, Markham and Springer have been frustrated by the weather, with
fractional wind assistance on Tuesday and Wednesday denying them the
opportunity to confirm their runs. According to the HPV governing body
rules, any new record must be followed by a second run within 4.8kph/3mph of
that speed within 10 days.
Prior to the event, much attention was focused on the well-backed British
Blueyonder team and their Olympic-gold-medal-winning sprint cyclist Jason
Queally, but they have so far failed to make any significant impact.
Despite hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of backing and
state-of-the-art construction work by motor sport manufacturers Reynard, the
team has been beset by technical problems since its arrival in the USA.
Money has proven to be a poor substitute for time and experience in the
notoriously development-intensive world of HPVs.
Strong winds during the day also conspired to greatly reduce the team's
opportunity to acquire valuable practice time.
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Ongoing technical difficulties, plus concern about Queally's safety,
meant their vehicle, the Blueyonder Challenger, failed to make it to the
start line on both Monday and Tuesday.
The team had its first outing on Wednesday in what was regarded as a test
run. The Blueyonder Challenger registered a mere 70.81kph/44mph over 200m.
Afterwards, Queally claimed problems with the front wheel prevented him
hitting higher speeds.
The dream of the Blueyonder team to claim the title of the fastest man on
Earth now looks extremely unlikely.
Maverick HPV rider American Matt Weaver, who is renowned for his late
appearances at events, did not arrive in Battle Mountain until Wednesday.
Weaver, who designed and built his unique video-piloted HPV in his own
garage, is the second-fastest rider.
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| Tania: World's fastest
junior |
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The only woman riding at the event, 15-year-old Tania Markham, daughter
of 'Fast' Freddy, already holds the junior world speed record and is out to
break the female record of 86.9kph/54mph.
Each team is allowed one run per day for the duration of the six-day event.
The 8km/5-mile stretch of Highway 305 is shut to public traffic for 30
minutes between 17:30 and 18:00 local time each day.
In all likelihood, the start time will be delayed 30 minutes when conditions
are calmer and the wind is not a factor after concerns were raised by the
riders.
- Ash Potterton
All photos copyright John Cassidy Photography
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