The World Human Powered Speed Challenge provides an opportunity to break the land speed record for human powered vehicles without the aid of drafting, and without steep, downhill grades. The WHPSC has been held at Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA since 2000. The sanctioning body is the International Human Powered Vehicle Association. The Flying Start 200 meter Speed Trial is the primary event contested at the WHPSC. The WHPSC is open to all with qualifying each morning. Prior to the establishment of the WHPSC at Battle Mountain, to challenge the 200 meter event, racers would need to find a suitable venue, have the course surveyed, obtain permits to close the road as needed, obtain insurance, and have IHPVA officials with timing equipment witness the attempt. This was in addition to building a vehicle, and training a rider. Since the WHPSC was established, the administrative aspects are handled and racers can focus on developing the vehicle and rider. Racers are still free to hold record attempts at other locations.
IHPVA competition rules define various competition classes. Combinations of these classes constitute a record category. There are potentially 128 record categories for each of the IHPVA’s 12 events. For the Flying Start 200 meter, 32 of the 128 categories have records as of 2025.
The IHPVA competition classes are as follows.
- Single rider / Multiple rider
- Arms only
- Male / Female
- Junior 11 years old and under
- Junior 12-14 years old
- Junior 15-17 years old
- Multitrack
- High altitude / Low altitude (above and below 700 m above sea level), (Battle Mountain course at 1407 meters above sea level is a high altitude course)
Todd Reichert riding the Aerovelo Eta at Battle Mountain holds the highest speed for the Flying Start 200 m event at 89.59 mph (144.17 kph) set in 2016 at Battle Mountain in the single rider, male, high altitude category. The complete list of IHPVA records is listed at the IHPVA website. IHPVA – International Human Powered Vehicle Association.
Course Description
The WHPSC race course is located 20 miles south of the town of Battle Mountain on Nevada State Route 305. The race course runs from South to North using both lanes of the highway. There is a 2.5 mile “qualifying course” and a 5 mile “long course”. The shorter course starts half way down the long course. The road was repaved in 2009. Figure 1 shows a map of the course relative to the city of Battle Mountain. Figure 2 is a diagram of the course showing the relevant landmarks.
Figure 1. WHPSC Race Course on Nevada SR 305
Figure 2. WHPSC Race Course Diagram
There are race course distance markers on the right side of the road (in the direction of racing) that count down from 5 miles every half mile until 1 mile to the finish. Beyond that there are 1000 m, 500 m, 200 m, and FINISH signs. The timing trap begins at the 200 m sign and ends at the FINISH sign. The catch area is approximately 0.7 miles (1.1 km) beyond the timing trap. Figure 3 shows early versions of the distance markers. Newer, larger signs are now used.
Figure 3. WHPSC Race Course Distance Markers
There are spectator grandstands and a parking lot across from the FINISH line. This is directly across the highway from the officials timing the runs. The officials display the 200 m elapsed time of each race vehicle as it exits the timing trap on an LED board facing the grandstand. Anyone wishing to watch from the spectator grandstand should park there while the road is open. After the road is closed, the grandstand can only be accessed on foot from the catch area by walking on the outside of the fence line. Figure 4 shows the timing area, figure 5 shows the spectator grandstand.
Figure 4. Timers at the Finish Line
Figure 5. Spectator Grandstand and Parking area across from the Finish Line
There are parking areas at the 5 mile start, 2.5 mile start, and the catch area. Motor vehicles are only allowed in the 2.5 mile start area during short course runs. Vehicles are not allowed in the 2.5 mile start area when 5 mile runs are taking place. Vehicles are not allowed to park anywhere else along the course. Once the road is closed for a race session, the last motor vehicle on the course is the sweep vehicle, checking to ensure the course is clear. Figures 6 through 9 show the parking areas for the catch area, spectator grandstand area, and short course and long course starting areas. Figure 10 shows a vehicle being launched on the long course.
Figure 6. WHPSC Catch Area
Figure 7. Spectator Grandstand and Parking Area at the Finish Line
Figure 8. 2.5 Mile Qualifying Course Start Area and Parking Area
Figure 9. 5 Mile Long Course Start Area and Parking Area
Figure 10. Launching a vehicle on the 5 Mile Long Course
Two ranch roads intersect the course, Ranch Road 1 near the 4 mile sign and Badger Ranch Road near the 1000 m sign. Flaggers will be stationed at these ranch roads and at roadblocks on each end of the course to ensure that no outside vehicles enter the course during a heat. An ambulance will be stationed at Badger Ranch Road.
Schedule
The event runs from September 6-13, 2025. Course preparation will precede the event from September 4-5, Thu-Fri. Technical inspections will be held on Saturday, Sep 6. Each vehicle and rider’s helmet must be inspected before qualifying. The technical inspection checklist is located here. Rules – WHPSC 2025
Saturday evening at 7 pm, there will be a mandatory meeting at the Civic Center. Event organization and procedures will be reviewed, teams and officials will be introduced. Riders will select heats for Sunday morning qualifying. The more-detailed, hourly event schedule is located here. Documents – WHPSC 2025
Daily Schedule
| Sep 4-5-6, Thursday-Friday-Saturday | Course preparation Teams are encouraged to either arrive early and help set up or stay late and help clean up the course. Contact Adam Hari. Officials, Volunteers, Teams meet, organize the following tasks: Install boards on bridge Pick up and place straw bales near dangerous obstacles Move and set up grandstand, snow fencing Mark road, attach markers to fence for mile marker signs Place course marking signs and traffic control signs in bushes Place carpet, chairs, flags in catch area Mark locations for porta-potties Move equipment from storage to Civic Center Set up Civic Center |
| Sep 5-6, Friday-Saturday | Team check-in Register, pay entry fees, tech inspection. If you arrive early, you can schedule tech and pay fees before Saturday. Contact Joyce Lem for payment of fees and Arnold Ligtvoet for tech inspection. See the contact sheet at the Civic Center for details, and add your team’s contact details. |
| Sep 6, Saturday | 08:00 Battle Mountain Civic Center, 625 S. Broad St, open for teams to work on vehicles 14:00 – 17:00 Tech inspection at Civic Center 19:00 Mandatory Meeting at Civic Center for teams, riders, officials, and volunteers Welcome teams, volunteers, visitors Review procedures and schedule for the week Assign jobs for volunteers Seeding for the Sunday morning qualifying session |
| Sep 7, Sunday Start times for racing sessions and meetings in this document are approximate. The Start times for racing are set in the meetings at the Civic Center | First day of racing 07:00 – 10:00 There will only be starts from the 2.5 mile point to qualify riders and vehicles for the 5 mile course. There will be 4-5 heats with 3-4 vehicles per heat on Sunday morning. NOTE: Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is very strict about the enforcement of the 20-minute road closure time. Teams must be ready to run when it is their turn. Teams may not have the opportunity to immediately restart after a drop and may have to return to the end of the line to restart. The next rider should be “on deck” and ready. 11:00 Immediately after the morning qualifying session, meet at the Civic Center for the post-race meeting. The topics addressed will be as follows. Welcome new visitorsSummarize the session Review safety and hazards Open questions and discussions Confirm officials for the next session Announce results Seeding for the Sunday evening race session and Monday morning race session 17:30 – 19:00 The evening race session will be for teams who have qualified for the 5 mile course only. If there are not enough qualified teams, the organisers may temporarily adjust the qualification minimum speed so enough teams can race. The minimum speed cannot be lowered excessively as the road closure time of 20 minutes cannot be exceeded. 20:00 Immediately after the evening race session, there will be a post-race meeting at the Civic Center. The topics addressed are as follows. Welcome new visitors Summarize the session Review safety and hazards Open questions and discussions Confirm officials for the next session Announce results |
| Sep 8-10, Monday- Wednesday Start times for racing sessions and meetings in this document are approximate. Start times for racing are set in the meetings at the Civic Center | 07:00 – 10:00 In the morning there will first be starts on the 2.5 mile course to qualify riders and vehicles for the 5 mile course. There will be enough sessions for everyone to qualify. The start will then be moved to the 5 mile marker. There are typically 4 heats in the morning split between the 2.5 mile course and 5 mile course. 11:00 Post-race meeting at the Civic Center. The topics will be the same as the Sunday morning post-race meeting. Seeding for both the evening session and next morning session heats will be determined. At 13:00 Tuesday, there will be a “Show & Shine” open house event for the local 3rd grade students and visitors at the Civic Center. All teams will display their bikes. Lunch will be available for teams and volunteers before the kids arrive. 17:30 – 19:00 The evening sessions will only use the 5 mile course and will only be accessible for teams who have qualified. 20:00 Following the evening race session, there will be a post-race meeting at the Civic Center. The topics will be the same as the Sunday evening post-race meeting. |
| Sep 11-13, Thursday – Saturday | 07:00 – 10:00 The same schedule as per above applies, however the intent is to not have 2.5 mile starts in the mornings on these days. It consumes significant time and work to move the roadblocks, officials and teams to the 5 mile start area. 11:00 Post race meeting at the Civic Center. 12:00 After the Saturday morning post-race meeting, there will be group photos in front of the Civic Center. 17:30 – 19:00 Evening race session 20:00 Post-race meeting at the Civic Center 20:30 Banquet. After the Saturday evening session, the post-race meeting will be held during the banquet. Awards will be handed out at the banquet. |
| Sep 14-15, Sunday-Monday | Course cleanup Officials and volunteers make sure everything is returned to how it was and ready for the next event. Teams are encouraged to plan their stays to help. Contact Adam Hari. Officials, Volunteers, Teams meet, organize the following tasks: Clean the Civic Center Remove boards from bridge Pick up and return straw bales to feed store Fold and move grandstand, snow fencing Remove fence markers Transport distance markers to Civic Center, to storage unit Transport catch area carpet, chairs, flags to storage unit Move equipment from Civic Center to storage unit |
From Sunday, September 7 to Saturday, September 13, there will be morning and evening race sessions. There will be multiple heats in each session. Please review the Start Order Selection Process Documents – WHPSC 2025 for details on how racers select the heats in which they’ll race. All racing vehicles and riders must qualify on the 2.5 mile course and achieve a minimum speed of 45 mph to run on the 5 mile course in the mornings. On Sunday morning, only the 2.5 mile course will be used as there will be many qualification heats. Mon-Wed morning sessions will be held from 7:00-10:00 am beginning with heats on the 2.5 mile course and then switching to the 5 mile course. From Thu-Sat, only the 5 mile course will be used in the morning. Evening sessions will run from 5:30-7:00 pm and will only use the 5 mile course. A minimum speed of 60 mph is required to run on the 5 mile course in the evening. The 45 and 60 mph minimum speeds may be modified depending on the number of entries that achieve these speeds.
The “Qualifying run” (also known as “dynamic inspection”) will be part of the technical inspection. The technical inspector and observers will determine if the rider can control their bike at speed and has a safe means of stopping. Vehicles that experience mechanical failures or crashes during a run will be required to undergo another tech inspection and re-qualify if deemed necessary.
The road will be closed for each heat for a maximum of 20 minutes. This includes the time to clear motor vehicle traffic on the course. (The road will be open to traffic between heats.) The sweep vehicle will travel from the catch area to the start area. Once the sweep vehicle has reached the start area and the course is clear, racers will be launched in 2 minute intervals. There will be 4 to 5 heats in the morning session depending on how many racers use the qualifying course. There may be up to 5 racers per qualifying heat and 4 racers per long course heat. There will be 3 heats in the evening with 4 racers per heat. Once called to the road, the first racer will have 4 minutes to launch. The following racers will be launched at approximately 2 minute intervals. If the first vehicle fails to launch, the second vehicle will be launched at the 4 minute mark. The next vehicle must be ready to launch 2 minutes later.
There will be a wrap-up meeting after each morning and evening session held at the Civic Center where the group will review how the session went and announce results. A team representative must be present as procedural issues may be discussed. In the morning post-race meeting, racers will select heats for that evening’s session and the following morning session. There is no heat selection during the evening post-race meeting. Road closure times for the upcoming sessions along with the start order will be established at these meetings. A team representative must be present to select a heat.
Event information will be posted at the Civic Center. Please check daily for any changes to the schedule or procedures. Cancellations due to weather will be posted at the Civic Center.
There will be a “Show & Shine” open house event at the Civic Center on Tuesday from 1-3 pm. The local 3rd grade students as well as the general public will visit. All teams will display their vehicles and answer questions. Figure 11 shows an enthusiastic student seeing what it’s like to get in a streamliner.
Figure 11. WHPSC Show & Shine
On Saturday, the final day of racing, there will be a group photo after the morning post-race meeting at the Civic Center. Figure 12 shows the vehicles and racers participating in the 2013 WHPSC.
Figure 12. WHPSC Saturday Group Photo
On Saturday evening, after the final race session, there will be a banquet at the Civic Center at 8:30 pm which will serve as the post-race meeting and awards ceremony.
Rules
This event will be run under the IHPVA Competition Rules IHPVA – International Human Powered Vehicle Association and the WHPSC 2025 Technical Rules found in the rules section of the WHPSC.org website.
The start official will be monitoring the distance with which teams assist their vehicle during launch. The maximum allowed distance is 15 meters. There will be small stripes on the road to assist with this measurement.
Each bicycle will be followed by a chase vehicle. Chasing a bike is a significant responsibility with regards to safety. Chase vehicle rules are located here Documents – WHPSC 2025.
Protests
It is the responsibility of the race director to make the event run as smoothly and safely as possible. Any protest that cannot be resolved by the directors will be decided by a committee of all riders qualified to run on 305. Decisions will be by simple majority. The race director or their designate will chair the meeting and have the authority to break any tie vote.
Any protest / disagreement concerning the day’s events or the announced starting order shall be voiced at the next wrap-up meeting. If a problem arises that needs to be addressed after the wrap-up meeting but before the next racing session, the protestant shall be responsible for notifying the race director and all qualified riders to attend a special rider’s meeting to hear the complaint.
Miscellaneous
- Each Team must complete an entry form, IHPVA membership forms, ABR membership forms for riders, IHPVA-WHPSC waivers, and pay all fees before their first time on the road. The entry form is located at the WHPSC website. Entry form – WHPSC 2025
- Teams are responsible for having chase vehicle personnel (minimum two + driver) and for ensuring the chase vehicle personnel know the rules and procedures.
- Teams are responsible for having people designated as their start crew, and making sure they know how to launch the vehicle.
- Teams are responsible for informing the catch crew of any special procedures required for their vehicle and providing special tools as required. The catch team will put any tape removed from your bike onto the seat in the bottom tub, don’t forget to remove it before your next run.
- All personnel must wear orange or yellow safety vests, shirts, or jackets when on or within 30 feet (10 meters) of SR 305. The only exception is riders racing within the active heat.
- Teams should post contact information on the Contact Sign Up Sheet at the Civic Center. Teams may be contacted if there are schedule changes or cancellation of a session due to weather conditions.
Volunteers
Course officials, timing officials, start officials, and volunteers must be IHPVA members for liability insurance purposes.
List of officials
- Race Director (2), normally stationed at Catch
- Coordinate road closures, catch area, sweep area, ambulance
- Timing Officials (3): Head timer, assistant, 200 m assistant
- Time vehicles though speed trap, record wind speed
- Spectator Grandstand Announcer (1)
- Provide info on teams, vehicles, riders, and who is on course
- Start Officials (2): Head starter, assistant
- Coordinate teams, control bikes on the road, launch bikes, observe adherence to 15 m launch rule
- Flaggers (4): Start, Finish, Ranch Road 1, Badger Ranch Road
- Flaggers at start and finish control motor vehicle traffic. Flaggers at ranch roads control local mid-course traffic
- Ambulance Personnel
- Chase Vehicle Officials (5), one per chase vehicle
- Observe and communicate status of bikes along the course to other chase vehicles and race director. Communication radios will be provided by the IHPVA.
- Sweep Vehicle Official (1)
- Last vehicle to check course for safety issues prior to start of race session
Insurance
(adjusted 20 July 2025)
Anyone on the racing surface during event road closures must be an IHPVA member to comply with insurance requirements. This includes but is not limited to riders, builders/owners, team advisors/managers, team members, officials, chase vehicle members, and volunteers. These persons are “WHPSC participants.” The IHPVA membership form is available at the WHPSC website. Bring signed hardcopy to the event (preferred), or complete hardcopy at the event.
Liability insurance – The club (IHPVA) is a member of American Bicycle Racing (ABR). The event (WHPSC) is registered with ABR. The club and event are covered by ABR liability insurance for claims by others, such as spectators, ranchers, motorists at roadblocks. Upon request, the policy can be emailed to you.
Accident insurance – As noted above, anyone on the racing surface must be an IHPVA member to comply with insurance requirements. These IHPVA members are covered for accidents via ABR insurance. The ABR insurance is available at the Documents section of the website. There are 2 documents: the Participating Organization Application (2 pages), and the Certificate of Coverage (14 pages).
All WHPSC participants must sign the form titled “Informed Consent, Assumption of Risk, Waiver and Release of Liability and Entry.” The form is available at the Documents section of the website and as hard copies at the event.
All forms must be completed before your team will be allowed to race.
New this year (2025):
- Riders do not need to be members of ABR.
- All WHPSC Participants are covered by the accident insurance policy.
IHPVA Rule Notes
IHPVA competition rules include the following 12 events including the flying start 200 meter event.
Standing Start, Fixed Durations (record is the furthest distance within the specified time)
- 1 hour
- 6 hour
- 12 hour
- 24 hour
Standing Start, Fixed Distances (record is the lowest elapsed time at the specified distance)
- 0.25 miles
- 4000 meters
- 10 kilometers
- 100 kilometers
- 100 miles
- 1000 kilometers
Flying Start
- 200 meters (unlimited runup within course rules, record is the lowest elapsed time over the specified distance)
Hybrid
- 200 meters with 600 meter runup from a standing start (record is the lowest elapsed time over 200 m), (This event is sometimes contested at the WHPSC.)
Competition class rule peculiarities
- While there is a multitrack class, there is no “singletrack” class. The multitrack class can be considered a “sub-class” of “all vehicles disregarding the number of tracks”.
- While there are junior age classes, there is no adult class and no master’s classes. The junior age classes can be considered sub-classes of “all classes disregarding age”.
- “Arms only” can be considered a sub-class of “all classes without restrictions on use of the human body”.