by Sean Costin 9/05/2009

Several new IHPVA one hour records were set on the weekend of July 18th, 2009 during the Michigan Human Powered Speed Challenge at Ford Motor Company\'s Michigan Proving Grounds, in Romeo Michigan. This event, organized by IHPVA board member Mike Mowett was designed to both provide a world class venue for setting records, and to run HPRA style human powered vehicle races for the non-records setting racers. This well attended event represented a return to the large world championships that the IHPVA enjoyed in the 1980s and early 1990s.

IHPVA Records set were:
56.295 mph, 90.598 kph, Sam Whittingham , Varna Tempest
52.208 mph, 84.020 kph, Barbara Buatois, Varna Tempest

More information at the Michigan Human Powered Speed Challenge event website

Chris Broome - January 1st, 2009

The bottom line is that the ‘Association of Associations’ concept of the IHPVA re-organization of 1999 just didn’t work as planned and the human-powered community was losing focus, direction and sense of community.

The multiplicity of similar names was very confusing, even to those of us within the organizations and it was almost impossible to explain clearly to outsiders.

Following the 1999 reorganization, the IHPVA was not a legal entity. It was not incorporated or registered and accordingly has not had legal funding or even the legal foundation for its name.

As President of the HPVA at that time and an early Chairman of the IHPVA, I was deeply involved in the name changes and the reorganization. But it was extremely difficult to sustain sufficient enthusiasm to make even parts of the proposed IHPVA structure work. I was not successful in keeping the enthusiasm alive or in forming a legal entity and my successors have all suffered the same fate.

The anticipated benefits failed to materialize. The enthusiasm for the concept dropped very quickly, as did the number of volunteers willing to help bring about the proposed change. As the years passed, even the proponents of the 1999 reorganization realized that the change wasn’t working and that substantive action was needed.

As Alice Krause has written, HPVA board presented a proposal to re-establish the original name and change the bylaws to reflect the change at the annual HPVA membership meeting in 2006. The membership approval vote was unanimous.

The organization has gone back to its origins and reclaimed the name established by its founders. The organization is incorporated as the International Human Powered Vehicle Association in the USA and is registered in the U.K.

The plan to reaffirm our mission of promoting human powered vehicles and their technology by inviting the affiliation of the current national organizations into a larger unified community. We are improving our publication of information through a restructured ihpva.org website with an open archive of Human Power, the IHPVA technical journal.

The website will also publish course records and race and event records, where the event organizers submit the observation and timing information.

Online forums are now available to improve communications between individuals and organizations throughout the world.

We invite all members of national organizations to become IHPVA members, to volunteer for any of a multitude of tasks in running events and the organization, to run for office if they wish, or to just enjoy the satisfaction of being on the leading edge of human power and its supporting technologies.

Chris Broome
Board member, IHPVA
Former Chairman, IHPVA
Past President, HPVA

Alice Krause, Eureka, California, USA - August 2008

The wait is over!

If you hadn’t noticed the masthead already, please look again. Our organization has gone back to its roots and reclaimed the name given us by our founders. We are officially the International Human Powered Vehicle Association!

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by Alice Krause, Eureka, California USA - July 2006

The Nissan Dempsey–MacCready One Hour Challenge lived up to all the preparation and anticipation by providing suspense and surprise up to the final moments on Sunday July 2, 2006.

Beginning June 29, with a 5:00 am advance viewing of the track located at the Nissan North American Technical Center outside Casa Grande, Arizona. Riders were given a tour of the track in vehicles provided and driven by Nissan employees. The three-lane 5.67 mile (9.12 km) oval was steeply banked in the turns and had some very large surface cracks throughout with turn three having a very uneven surface due to some older paving.

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by Kelsey (KB) Bower, Ashland, OR, USA - April 2008

Al and Alice,

You guys did it again and kept the Challenge alive. A new European record (go Damjam), and some new to me riders. Wish the Tri-sled machine were running gut (good). Glad to see Larry had a streamliner up and gehen (going). So much for my once a week Deutsche lessons, occasionally I can say something out loud.

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