Pre dawn at the finish line.
This morning was all qualifying runs at the 2.5 mile distance.
Matilde in Phoenix.
Alastair with Bilby the first time down the track.
Three Germans said that they would do exactly 50 mph in the Milan RS. Here, Daniel is doing 50.75 mph as predicted.
Unfortunately during the second heat, Diego had a mechanical and was done for the day.
Guillaume in Altair 7 with the crash panels.
Bilby again.
Sprocket Rocket goes 51.53 in its debut run. (not wind legal). Both the nose cone and wheelfairings are much evolved from the last time. Also I was told that there had to be some guards installed behind the riders’ heads to keep hair out of the drivetrain.
Compare it to the 2019 version.
François goes 72.53 mph, which is faster than his qualifying run last year (69.95)
Bill going a bit slower than usual since the drivetrain was eating his safety harness.
Peter closing out the morning.
Results:
Starting order for tonight and tomorrow AM. First time I can remember with empty slots in the evening. Neither Milan or Bilby are running tonight. Hoping for better luck in qualifying for both Enzo and Diego.
Looks like 11 new riders this year (counting 4 of the 5 Sprocket Rockets), returning very strong contenders for the Men’s Overall record, UCI World champion and world record holder in kilometer (2013) Francois Pervis and women’s professional rider Matilde Vitillo who recently rode in the Tour de France this past summer. Francois went 84.72 mph last year (2022) with non-legal wind to become the 4th fastest male in history and Matilde went 74.07 mph also with non-legal wind to become the 7th fastest female in history. Francois has the fastest qualifying speed in history now on the short 2.5 mile course. He bettered Andrea Gallo’s speed of 72.53 mph in 2019, which was also with non-legal wind like Francois’s run this morning. Last year (2022) Francois set the fastest legal wind qualifying run of 69.95 mph.
Additional accolades of first morning session: the 5-woman of the Sprocket Rockets with their speed of 51.53 mph (non-wind legal) unofficially break the Women’s Multiple Rider Record of 47.59 mph set way back in 1980 by a 3-woman team over a similar 2.5 mile run-up distance on the Ontario Motor Speedway in California at low-altitude. Only world overall speed record holder at 183.9 mph (drafting behind a car at Bonneville Salt Flats, hence motorpacing) Denise Mueller has raced at Battle Mountain before where she set the American Women’s Record of 70.6 mph (legal wind) in 2019.
Niklas Bostelmann, a 2022 crew member, returns as a competitor this year after riding his Milan velomobile across America in one direction in a self-supported race, then back across again to go to Battle Mountain. He earned the only Mph Hat of the morning session with a 50.42 mph run in his Milan RS velomobile which he has modified and been working on since arriving in Battle Mountain.