Urban Transportation Contest 2006

By Paul Pancella

After a 1-year hiatus, the Urban Transportation Contest (UTC) returns to Waterford on June 10 this year.  With years of experience and refinement (and a lack of competition from other events) I can humbly say that this is the best test of practical HPVs that is now available in North America.  It is a good fit for the historical emphasis of the Michigan HPV Association, which has persistently offered events which measure more than just speed.

The UTC is for anyone interested in multiple dimensions of HPV performance.  My aim in designing the UTC was to judge the best vehicles for moving people around town on their most common errands and commutes, on paved roads, in all weather conditions, mixing it up with other kinds of traffic, and with light cargo capability. The emphasis is on the vehicles, rather than the skills or strengths of individual riders.  We’ve also managed to make it fun and efficient, with minimal waiting-around-time.

This contest is open to all competitors at Waterford at no extra charge. The results will not be included in the HPRA points series, but there will be prizes for the top finishers. Vehicles will have to pass the same technical requirements as for the rest of the rally, with the exception that rearview mirrors will earn points, but are not required for UTC participation.

The UTC will run at the same time as the hill climb/coast down event. Since only a few vehicles can be judged at a time, you can run the hill before or after your turn in the UTC. The score from the coast-down will be part of the UTC scoring, as a way to judge aerodynamic efficiency. You can use the same vehicle that you race during the rest of the rally for the UTC, or you may enter a different vehicle. We know that some of the vehicles that people race are appropriate for street riding, others are not.  If you do decide to use the same vehicle, you are allowed to make modifications to it for the UTC.  Scoring of the UTC is independent of the rest of the weekend’s events.

If you enter a separate vehicle in the UTC, get an official vehicle number from me, then be sure to run it in the hill climb/coast down in addition to your primary racing vehicle. To compete in the UTC, you should register on Saturday morning like everyone else. There will be some additional paperwork to fill out for the UTC. I need to have your UTC forms by about 11 am, and the contest hopefully will start about 1:30 p.m.

The contest

We will award points more or less equally in three areas:

Utility -- The basic ability to do the job, and do it efficiently.

Safety -- Mostly of the operator, but including security against theft.

Convenience -- The ideal urban vehicle is fun and easy to use. Here I will include items that affect operator comfort, as well as cargo capacity.

On the forms due at 11 am, you must record your largest and smallest useable gear ratios, preferably in gear-inches (among other things). If you don’t know this, you will have to count teeth. If you have a standard derailleur system, I need the number of teeth on the largest and smallest chainrings on the front and sprockets on the back, along with your drive wheel diameter, and any step-ups or step-downs in between.  The rest of the tasks happen at three stations, which can be done in any order. Contestants should keep their own scoring sheets with them until all tasks are completed, then turn them in to me.

One station, as mentioned, is the hill-climb/coast-down. We will only use the coast-down distance for the UTC score, not the hill climb time.

The second station will be static testing. The vehicle and operator will be weighed, with points awarded for lower vehicle weight as a proportion of operator weight. We will measure the height of the operator’s eyes (higher is better for seeing things) and the overall length and width (smaller is better for getting around and storage). We will evaluate daytime visibility and lighting systems. Reflectors and bright colors are good and bright lights will earn points. Weather protection will be evaluated.  Don’t forget your tool and tire repair kit!  We will check for tools, spares and anti-theft devices. Finally, a judge will evaluate rider comfort.

A third station will consist of some dynamic tests. The turning radius – the smaller the better – will be measured by operator demonstration. Each contestant will be allowed up to three attempts to make their tightest possible turn without a foot touching down, at any speed.  This will be followed by a short, timed slalom course on the parking lot, where the timing starts with the operator at some distance from the vehicle, choosing zero, one, or two bags of dummy groceries. On the clock, the groceries are loaded, the driver mounts, and starts the course. Groceries can't be hung from handlebars; they must be secured to the vehicle or rider.

The clock stops at the finish line, but the rider must then apply the brakes, attempting to stop as quickly as possible while maintaining a straight course. Points are awarded for faster times completing the course and for shorter braking distances. Fifteen seconds of time is subtracted for each bag carried. Time penalties are assessed for dropping or abusing groceries, hitting cones, falling off the bike, etc.

When contestants finish all the tasks, they should turn in their forms to me or one of my official helpers. Depending on the number of contestants, final results may not be available until Sunday morning. Prizes will be awarded at the start of the general awards ceremony.  More details of how points will be awarded can be found in the June 2004 newsletter: http://lmb.org/mhpva/newsletter/2004-06/  Past winners include Wally Kiehler, Ray Carpenter, and Bob Krzewinski. 

We’re hoping to see more faired vehicles entered this year.  They should do well, with high scores in the coast down and for weather protection and visibility, but they have been under-represented in recent years.  So if you think you have put together a good urban assault vehicle, enter it in the UTC and prove it!