As always, Sam the rider and Georgi
Georgiev the builder tinker with everything, including their sanity, in order to make their bikes faster. Recently, Sam was spotted riding around Quadra Island with a pillowcase over his head, seemingly blinded. As explained below, it's all part of the hillbilly HPV development program.
In 2006, the .deciMach prize of $18,000 is up for grabs; it's awarded to the first rider to surpass 82 MPH under their own power. Think of this as the sprinter's prize.
The Dempsey-MacCready prize, another award worth $25,000, is available in 2006 for the first rider to break the one-hour record. This is the premier endurance event for HPV riders. Sam holds this title already for riding 84.2 kilometres in one hour on the Opel test track in Germany.
To make the new bike efficient, Georgi wishes Sam was the size of a child but with the legs of an elite cyclist. At least he has one side of the equation: Sam's peak power-output continues to improve. And at 5-foot 6, it's hard to imagine Sam as large; but in the world of speedbikes, size is everything.
This year, the frontal area of the shell-basically, the nose of the bike-is the area of concern. According to Georgi, the smaller the frontal area, the faster the bike. Given that two of the three riders to go faster than 75 MPH rode Georgi's machines, it's difficult to argue with his design sensibilities--he has been called "the mechanical
Michelangelo."
One big change for the 2006 machine is the switch to a camera-view system. As you can see in the photograph (r), Diablo has a svelte but raised viewing bubble. As aerodynamic as Georgi has built it to be, the bubble still significantly increases drag, or wind resistance--enough to steal precious watts from Sam's legs, especially at anything over 70 MPH. At those speeds, Sam can feel the diffrence in the car-wax used on the outer shell.
At 80MPH, wind sneaking into the hairline ventilation crack between the windscreen and the shell roars like a wind tunnel.
Cheating the drag at top speed is one thing, but the hour-record attempt requires further improvements to the bike's efficiency, to maximize Sam's output, without sapping his energy too badly. As Sam puts it, "Riding in burning coffin for an hour" is draining enough.
Their plan for 2006 is to eliminate the bubble altogether. Sam will steer to the image of a tiny LCD monitor inside the total darkness of the aero-shell. As fellow HPV racer Matt Weaver knows, adapting to the camera takes time. Weaver is one of three humans, including Freddy Markham, to pilot a bike at over 75 MPH. Weaver entered this elite club using a camera-bike, his Kyle Edge design, in 2002.
In order to learn to steer without too much injury to the speedbike, Sam is currently riding around on his non-faired recumbent, using the LCD screen to steer. So as to not cheat, he puts a pillow case over the whole rig, including his head.
Luckily, since Sam, who was born on Quadra Island, is familiar to most of the locals, nobody double-takes his passing except the odd tourist.
Of course, many tiny but important improvements will be added (or removed) to the new design. Since all involved with the speedbike projects are artists of some kind, everybody is used to feeling like the work is never finished.
To see a movie that discusses Sam and Georgi's design process, click here. |
Diablo I, the 2001 design. More snug than the previous Mephisto, but still a little big.
Diablo II, the world record machine from 2002 to 2005. Note the reduced frontal area and cleaner line from nose to tail.
The 2006 shell-design: top-secret photo. Note the missing windscreen; this is a camera-piloted design.
Could this "Grey Guppie" go 90 MPH?
In Diablo, Sam used to see through this snug-fitting visor. He could just make out the road ahead over the top of the shell.
A simulation of the LCD perspective: virtual view, very real speeds.
Another camera bike: the tricyle design. The rear wheels are only 12 inches apart, making this a little sketchy for an all-out speed run. This will likely be an hour-record machine.
Georgi Georgev: pleased as punch with his pilot's progress. |
