Pedal Prix

24-hour Australian International Pedal Prix

Since 1997, teams have made their way to Murray Bridge to participate in the 24-hour Australian International Pedal Prix. This is the culmination of the six race Australian HPV (Human Powered Vehicle) Super Series and attracts over 30,000 spectators and over 200 teams annually to the Sturt Reserve circuit.  It is considered the toughest and most competitive race of its type in the world.

Blackfriars debuted in the Australian HPV Super Series in 2019, participating in both Adelaide 6-hour rounds raced at Victoria Park in June and July.  Competing in the S2 (Middle School) class, Team Unleashed has made an impressive entry to Pedal Prix racing steadily improving with every lap completed.  Last weekend’s event was the Blackfriars team’s first look at the Murray Bridge circuit and, once again, the boys performed extremely well.

Our team of Declan Hillman, Nic Pamula, Cam Griffiths, Mitchell Renton, Kyle Baker and Jai Harte departed for Murray Bridge last Friday morning with team manager, Mr Jeff Drewer, arriving in time to establish their pit area, set up camp, put the team’s cycle through scrutineering and take to the track for a timed practice session at 5.00 pm.  Competing with 203 teams across 7 different categories, the boys recorded a time to place themselves half way along the starting grid for the race start at midday on Saturday.

A rainy night made for wet track conditions on Saturday morning and a downpour just prior to the green light to go racing meant a careful start to the race for all competitors. However the track conditions improved quickly and all teams soon settled into their rhythm.  Team Unleashed picked up places steadily throughout the afternoon’s racing and by early evening was circulating in position 71, up more than 30 positions from the race start.  This was good enough to be 13th out of 64 teams in the S2 category.

As the evening turned into night, riders and support crew began to split their time between sleeping and riding.  By 2.00 am, Team Unleashed was on the verge of breaking into the top 10 in category S2 before an on-track incident sent all cycles to their pits.  This was a great opportunity to put some air into the tyres and give the cycle a quick once-over.  However, once racing recommenced at around 2.30 am, it was apparent that a mechanical issue was hampering the Blackfriars entry.  Lap times slowed with the cycle’s gearing not operating as is should. A number of visits to the pits and then to the cycle’s engineers at Trump Trikes saw the team slip back through the placings dropping to 30th in category by dawn.

With the sun though came a new lease on life for the boys. The cycle back on track and the riders well rested resulted in the team churning out it’s best times for the race and a steady climb back up the leader board.  By mid-morning Sunday, the boys were catching teams one-by-one and heading for the top 20. 

By race end at midday on Sunday, Team Unleashed had completed 392 laps (674 km) – good enough for 93rd place overall (out of 203 entries) / 24th in category.  A better indicator of where the team may have finished if not for the mechanical issues faced in the early hours of the morning was recording the 12th fastest lap time (2:26.600) and the 12th fastest top speed (41.992 km/h) in the category.  These were achieved on lap 305 in the final three hours of the race.

In its debut season, the performance of Team Unleashed has been outstanding. The combined results of the two Victoria Park 6-hour races and the 24-hour event last weekend has seen Blackfriars finish the 2019 HPV Super Series in 19th place in the Middle School section which had 112 entries this season from across Australia.

The boys have enjoyed amazing support from their families throughout the season during weekend training sessions at Victoria Park as well as at all three events. The weekend away at Murray Bridge was a particular highlight with volunteer support coming in the form of track marshalling duties, chefs, mechanics, masseurs, photographers and first aid officers! Thanks so much to all parents for your amazing support.

The 2019 also benefited from great sponsorship in our inaugural season from 99 Bikes (Prospect) for all manner of cycle parts, accessories and rider equipment; Terry Howe Printing Services for helping turn out the vehicle in spectacular fashion for each race; ARA Manufacture (Mark Pamula) for assisting in the purchase of a generator, lights and bbq for the 24-hour race; Riviera Bakery (Scott Hillman) for keeping us fed over last weekend; Trump Trikes for engineering assistance with our vehicle; and Spacetalk for our smart watch communications out on track at Murray Bridge. (This was especially vital during the trials and tribulations in the early hours of Sunday morning where the riders needed to be in almost constant communication with the pits as we tried to work out what problems the cycle was having).

Given the success of this first season, there is no doubt that Pedal Prix will become a regular fixture on the Blackfriars co-curricular program in the years ahead. Our aim is to field two teams in the not too distant future so that more of our boys can experience the thrill of this unique, exciting and highly competitive sport.

Mr Patrick Kelly

Team Unleashed Crew Member