Dempsey-MacCready Prize
Nissan One Hour Challenge

Easy Racers, Inc
200 Airport Blvd.
Freedom, CA 95019
831-722-9797
info@easyracers.com
www.easyracers.com


Thirty years after making the United States Olympic Cycling team and twenty years after winning the DuPont Prize for human powered speed and ten years after retiring from professional cycling, Fast Freddy Markham has stunned the cycling community by winning the Dempsey-MacCready Prize at the Nissan One Hour Challenge in Casa Grande, AZ, on July 2 2006.

Markham won the event with a new world record speed and brought the One Hour Title back to the United States for the first time since 1990, the last time Markham held it. Markham averaged a record 53.43 miles from a standing start, this beat the old mark held by Canadian Sam Whittingham by more than a mile.

The Dempsey-MacCready Prize was established in April of 1999. It was a large cash prize for the first person to pedal 90 kilometers in one hour from a standing start. Since no one achieved the target speed of 90 kilometers, $40,000 was split up between the three farthest attempts to date with Markham winning $18,000 for first, Sam Whittingham won $12,000 for second, and Matt Weaver won $6000 for third

The Dempsey-MacCready Prize was hosted by Nissan who donated their high speed auto test track in southern Arizona. The Nissan Challenge was created as the last opportunity to win the prize before it elapsed.

More than thirty attempts worldwide were made on the Dempsey-MacCready Prize. Some attempts were made by professionals and top amateur cyclists witch did produce several world records.

Fast Freddy Markham, no stranger to setting records or winning prizes, produced an upset win, since at age 49, nobody considered him a strong contender for the One Hour Title, a title which Markham set on three prvious occasions, the last however in 1989. This latest world record was Markham’s twentieth in a career that saw him become the first bicycle rider in history to break 50 mph, 60 mph and win the $18,000 DuPont Prize for exceeding 65 mph in 1986.

Markham lives in Soquel, California and is the owner of Easy Racers, inc. the nations largest recumbent bicycle manufacturer and builders of all the record setting bicycles he used in previous world records.

Quick video clip:

 

Results of the
Nissan Dempsey/MacCready Prize One Hour Challenge
Nissan Test Track, June 30 - July 2, 2006, Casa Grande Arizona
Complete Hour Distances
1. Fred Markham. Vehicle - Varna Mephisto - 53.432 miles, 85.991 kilometers.
Fastest lap - 89.51 kph - lap 2. July 2, 2006.
Crashed on start, had to restart.

2. Rob English. Vehicle - Varna II - 49.836 miles, 80.203 kilometers.
Fastest lap - 87.184 kph - lap 2. June 30, 2006.


3. Matt Weaver. Vehicle - Cutting Edge - 48.672 miles, 78.330 kilometers.
Fastest lap - 84.29 kph - lap 2. July 2, 2006.
Crashed on start had to restart.

4. Steve Delaire. Vehicle - Mach 6 - 43.273 miles, 69.641 kilometers.
Fastest lap - 72.273 kph - average of laps 2 and 3. July 2, 2006


5. Craig Delaire. Vehicle - Mach 6 - 36.389 miles, 58.401 kilometers.
Fastest lap - 62.321 kph - lap 2. July 1, 2006.
Did not Finish

6. Damjan Zabovnik. Vehicle - Elvie - 52.655 mph, 84.739 kph, 7 laps.
63.785+ km. Tire flat on 8th lap.
Fastest lap - 87.52 kph - lap 2. July 1, 2006.

7. Rob English. Vehicle - Varna II - 50.010 mph, 80.482 kph, 5 laps.
45.560+ km. Rider abandoned at 6 laps, no time on 6th lap.
Fastest lap - 83.682 kph - lap 2. July 2, 2006.

8. Steve Delaire. Vehicle - Mach 6 - 43.171 mph - 69.478 kph, 4 laps.
36.448+ km. Rider abandoned on 4th lap.
Fastest lap - 75.184 kph - lap 2. June 30 2006.

9. Fred Markham. Vehicle - Varna Mephisto - 51.534 mph, 82,936 kph, 2 laps.
18.224+ km. Cluster came loose on lap 3. Had to abandon.
Crashed on start, had to restart.
Fastest lap - 89.125 kph - lap 2. July 1, 2006.

10. Rob Hitchcock. Vehicle - Kyle Edge - No time.
Crashed after start in first straight.
Assisted start after crash and made it about 1/2 lap and then abandoned.

Officials
Chief Timer: Bill Gaines.
Observers: Paul Gracey, John Tetz, George Leone, David Wilson, Tom Novak
Vehicle Inspections: Chris Broome.

Prizes
1. $18,000 - Fred Markham - 85.991 km - July 2, 2006, Casa Grande Arizona
Nissan Auto Test Track.

2. $10,000 - Sam Whittingham - 84.215 km - July 31, 2004, Dudenhofen, Germany
Opel Auto Test Track.

3. $6,000 - Matt Weaver - 82.755 km - Oct. 9, 2004, Fontana, California.
California Motor Speedway.

4. $4,000 - Damjan Zabovnik - Special prize for fastest foreign competitor
over seven laps in Nissan event. Slovinia.

5. $2,000 - Rob English - Special prize for second fastest foreign competitor
over seven laps in Nissan event. England.

Excel sheet here:

Dempsey - MacCready Hour Record Prize Attempt
Nissan auto Test Track, Casa Grande, Arizona, USA
Miles Km Time from Start Total Time Lap Spd Lap Spd Ave Spd Ave Spd
Sec @ lap MPH KPH MPH KPH
30 June 06 Rider Rob English 1 5.662 9.112 7 8.391 428.391 47.58 76.57 47.58 76.57 Paul Gracey
Vehicle Varna II 2 11.324 18.224 13 24.646 804.646 54.17 87.18 50.66 81.54 John Tetz
Distance of last partial lap 3 16.986 27.336 19 50.735 1190.735 52.79 84.96 51.35 82.65
4.5 Miles 4 22.648 36.448 26 28.584 1588.584 51.23 82.45 51.32 82.60
211 Ft 5 28.310 45.560 33 17.914 1997.914 49.80 80.14 51.01 82.09 Observers
Total distance: 6 33.972 54.672 40 20.799 2420.799 48.20 77.57 50.52 81.30
Miles Km 7 39.634 63.785 47 30.421 2850.421 47.44 76.35 50.06 80.56 Bill Gaines
49.836 80.203 8 45.296 72.897 54 39.172 3279.172 47.54 76.51 49.73 80.03 Paul Gracey
9 50.958 82.009 John Tetz
30 June 06 Rider Steve Delaire 1 5.662 9.112 8 8.39 488.39 41.74 67.17 41.74 67.17 Paul Gracey
Vehicle Mach 5 2 11.324 18.224 15 24.64 924.64 46.72 75.19 44.09 70.95 John Tetz
Miles Km 3 16.986 27.336 23 50.73 1430.73 40.28 64.82 42.74 68.78
22.648 36.448 4 22.648 36.448 31 28.58 1888.58 44.52 71.65 43.17 69.48
Attempt Aborted By Rider
1July06 Rider Fred Markham 1 5.662 9.112 7 3 423 48.19 77.55 48.19 77.55 Tom Nowak
Vehicle Easy Varna 2 11.324 18.224 13 11.06 791.06 55.38 89.13 51.53 82.94 David Gorden Wilson
Distance of last partial lap
1 Miles
Total distance:
Miles Km
12.324 19.834
1July06 Rider Damjan Zabovnik 1 5.662 9.112 6 52.76 412.76 49.38 79.47 49.38 79.47 Paul Gracey
Vehicle Eivie II Slovinia 2 11.324 18.224 13 7.57 787.57 54.38 87.52 51.76 83.30 John Tetz
Distance of last partial lap 3 16.986 27.336 19 27.12 1167.12 53.70 86.43 52.39 84.32
2.8 Miles 4 22.648 36.448 25 48.23 1548.23 53.48 86.07 52.66 84.75
Total distance: 5 28.310 45.560 32 11 1931 53.25 85.70 52.78 84.94
Miles Km 6 33.972 54.672 38 38.96 2318.96 52.54 84.55 52.74 84.87
42.465 68.341 7 39.634 63.785 45 9.78 2709.78 52.15 83.94 52.65 84.74
Vehicle Flated Front tire on back straight
1July06 Rider Rob Hichcock 1 Crash in first turn
Vehicle Kyle Edge
1 Miles
1July06 Rider Craig Delare 1 5.662 9.112 9 42 582 35.02 56.36 35.02 56.36 Paul Gracey
Vehicle Mark 6 2 11.324 18.224 18 28.36 1108.36 38.72 62.32 36.78 59.19 John Tetz
Distance of last partial lap 3 16.986 27.336 27 28.2 1648.2 37.76 60.77 37.10 59.71
2.5 Miles 4 22.648 36.448 36 39.94 2199.94 36.94 59.45 37.06 59.64
-967 Ft 5 28.310 45.560 46 21.4 2781.4 35.06 56.42 36.64 58.97
Total distance: 6 33.972 54.672 55 53.34 3353.34 35.64 57.35 36.47 58.69
Miles Km
36.289 58.401
1July06 Rider Fred Markham 1 5.662 9.112 6 52.45 412.45 49.42 79.53 49.42 79.53 Tom Nowak
Vehicle Easy Varna 2 11.324 18.224 12 58.91 778.91 55.62 89.51 52.34 84.23 David Gorden Wilson
3 16.986 27.336 19 10.77 1150.77 54.81 88.21 53.14 85.52
Distance of last partial lap 4 22.648 36.448 25 27.58 1527.58 54.09 87.06 53.37 85.90
2.5 Miles 5 28.310 45.560 31 47.82 1907.82 53.61 86.27 53.42 85.97 5:59
-135 Ft 6 33.972 54.672 38 9.21 2289.21 53.44 86.01 53.42 85.98
7 39.634 63.785 44 31.93 2671.93 53.26 85.71 53.40 85.94 6:12
Total distance: 8 45.296 72.897 50 55.06 3055.06 53.20 85.62 53.38 85.90
Miles Km 9 50.958 82.009 57 14.39 3434.39 53.73 86.48 53.42 85.96
53.432 85.991 10 56.620 91.121
2 Jul 06 Rider Steve Delaire 1 5.662 9.112 8 43.06 523.06 38.97 62.71 38.97 62.71 George Leone
Vehicle Mach 5 2 11.324 18.224 16 17.63 977.63 44.84 72.16 41.70 67.11 David Wilson
Distance of last partial lap 3 16.986 27.336 23 5 1385 50.04 80.53 44.15 71.05
6 KILO 4 22.648 36.448 31 25.4 1885.4 40.73 65.55 43.24 69.59
-470 Ft 5 28.310 45.560 39 13.11 2353.11 43.58 70.14 43.31 69.70 7:40
Total distance: 6 33.972 54.672 47 2.05 2822.05 43.47 69.95 43.34 69.74
43.273 69.641 7 39.634 63.785 54 59.3 3299.3 42.71 68.73 43.25 69.60
2 July 06 Rider Rob English 1 5.662 9.112 7 34.75 454.75 44.82 72.14 44.82 72.14 Paul Gracey
Vehicle Varna 2 11.324 18.224 13 13.15 793.15 60.23 96.94 51.40 82.72 John Tetz
3 16.986 27.336 20 57.93 1257.93 43.86 70.58 48.61 78.23
Total distance: 4 22.648 36.448 27 13.15 1633.15 54.32 87.42 49.92 80.34
Miles Km 5 28.310 45.560 33 57.93 2037.93 50.36 81.04 50.01 80.48
33.972 54.672 6 33.972 54.672
Rider pulled off at pit at lap 6
2July06 Rider Matt Weaver 1 5.662 9.112 7 48.33 468.33 43.52 70.04 43.52 70.03 8:56
Vehicle Cutting Edge 2 11.324 18.224 14 17.52 857.52 52.37 84.29 47.54 76.49 Paul Gracey
Distance of last partial lap 3 16.986 27.336 20 47.67 1247.67 52.24 84.08 49.01 78.86 David Gorden Wilson
3.5 Miles 4 22.648 36.448 27 32.32 1652.32 50.37 81.07 49.34 79.40
-653 Ft 5 28.310 45.560 34 23.9 2063.9 49.52 79.70 49.38 79.45
Total distance: 6 33.972 54.672 41 28.19 2488.19 48.04 77.31 49.15 79.09
Miles Km 7 39.634 63.785 48 31.45 2911.45 48.16 77.50 49.01 78.85
48.672 78.330 8 45.296 72.897 55 45.28 3345.28 46.98 75.61 48.74 78.43