The Australian HPV Super Series, also known as the Adelaide University Australian Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Super Series under sponsorship and in full, is an annual championship held in South Australia and Western Australia featuring velomobiles racing on enclosed circuits for a duration between 6 and 24 hours.
The largest series of its kind in the world, it attracts teams from across Australia and overseas. Since 2018, the championship has consisted of six races, culminating in the 24 hour event at Murray Bridge.
2025 Adelaide University Australian HPV Super Series
Dates RaceCircuitLocationDurationDate1 McNamara ParkMount Gambier, South Australia8 Hour29 March2 The Bend KartdromeTailem Bend, South Australia6 Hour17 May3 Victoria Park CriteriumAdelaide, South Australia6 Hour13–15 June4 The Bend KartdromeTailem Bend, South Australia8 Hour2 August5 Busselton Street CircuitBusselton, Western Australia6 Hour24 August6 Sturt Reserve Street CircuitMurray Bridge, South Australia24 Hour 19–21 September
History In 1986, what would become the inaugural Pedal Prix race was held in the car park of what was at the time the Underdale Campus of the University of South Australia on Holbrooks Road. There were less than a dozen participating teams. This event marks the start of the Australian HPV Super Series and at the time it generated tremendous interest. Vehicles varied considerably in sophistication and quality but the potential to get students involved in designing, making and testing the vehicles was readily apparent.
In 1987 the event was moved to the Road Safety Centre on Oaklands Road in Marion (later turned into a wetlands) to cater for the increased number of teams. Rules and standards were developed to guide teams in building vehicles so that they were safer. This site was considerably more complex with many corners and a hill to test riders and their vehicles.
The popularity of the event continued to grow and it soon became apparent that the number of entries was growing beyond the capacity of the Road Safety Centre. As a result, in 1992 the event was moved to the Adelaide International Raceway at Virginia. This site easily catered for the increased number of entries. The wider, flatter track saw records for the distance travelled in the 24 hour endurance race increase. A major disadvantage of this site has been its openness and exposure to weather. Wind, dust and an uninteresting track layout had the committee looking for alternatives. 1996 marked the last time that petrol driven hybrids were allowed to participate. At various stages throughout the history of the 24 hour race there have been categories for petrol and solar hybrids as well as a commuter category where more than one rider was in the vehicle.
1997 saw the event moved to Sturt Reserve, Murray Bridge, where for the first time public roads were sealed off specially for the event. It was felt that the new venue would comfortably accommodate the number of entries anticipated, provide a greater challenge for teams and provide a better atmosphere for all competitors, spectators and visitors.Parker, Leon. "Brief history of the event", pedalprix.org.au, Adelaide, 1997. Retrieved on 11 November 2012. The field at the first Murray Bridge totalled 90 teams. The record size for the competing field at Murray Bridge was 228 set in 2009.
In 2003, The HPV Super Series began, with a championship season that spanned four races. They included two 3 hour sprints on the same day and later a 6-hour race all at Victoria Park and then concluded with the 24 hour Murray Bridge event. The two 3 hour sprints were then replaced with a single 6 hour race. A 9-hour race was trialed once during 2009 for race 2 at Victoria Park.
The 2013 Murray Bridge event was the first to include teams representing five states/territories with teams from South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales and the Northern Territory present.
In 2014, a street circuit in Loxton, South Australia was introduced as the new opening race of a four-race championship. In addition, the McNamara Park circuit near Mount Gambier and a street circuit in Busselton, Western Australia were introduced as non-series events. The Murray Bridge street circuit remained as the final race of the series and the two Victoria Park races also remained unchanged.
In 2017, the McNamara Park circuit was upgraded to a series event as the opening race of the series. In 2018, the race in Busselton was also upgraded to a series event as the penultimate race.
On 14 December 2017, it was announced by the Australian HPV Super Series and the Victorian HPV Grand Prix Series that National Vehicle Specifications had been adopted for the 2018 season onward, subjecting both series to common vehicle specifications and making it easier for teams to compete across both series without needing to change their vehicle set-ups; in previous years, both series had their own specification guidelines to comply with.
For the 2016 and 2017 seasons, in all races apart from Murray Bridge, race days were separated for Category 4 (Saturday) and the remaining categories (Sunday). This was scaled back to only include the two Victoria Park races for the 2018-19 seasons.
The 2020 season abruptly came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic with most races ether being cancelled or "rescheduled".
The 2021 season was cut short after just a few races again because of Covid. the Adelaide 6 hour was held on a shorter course due to the covid testing clinic at Victoria Park.
The 2022 season saw all races held for the first time since covid with only the Adelaide 6 hour being split between 2 days. Saturday was community teams and Sunday was school teams. the 2022 season also saw the return of the Murray bridge 24-hour race for the first time since 2019. Sadly, at the end of the season Aroura racing said goodbye after a season win.
The 2023 season saw the addition of the main sponsor University of South Australia entering the races with their trike Evo. All races where held this season, and the Victoria Park long track came back into play for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. 2023 saw Wattle Racing's Gunyah take out the championship win and Trump Trikes take out the 24 hour win.
Notable riders Steele Von Hoff (Gtrikes) Patrick Jonker (DMR Racing) Cameron Platt (Platt Racing) Kyle Lierich (Trump Trikes/Gtrikes Factory Racing) Reece Harris (Wattle Racing) Darcy Strudwick (Uni SA Evo) Griffin Knight (ELEMNT Racing Inc) Justin Counihan (ELEMNT Racing Inc) Matt Allen (ELEMNT Racing Inc) Kyle "tugger" Craddock (Replica Racing) Jethro Liquvist (Gtrikes) Harry Hollaway (Replica racing) Harrison Phillips (Wattle Racing) Ryan Wiebrecht (Replica Racing) Andrew Charters (Replica Racing)
Racing categories and divisions The four categories are divided under two classifications of "School Categories" and "Community Categories". Introduced in 2006, all school and community categories have further sub-categories for All Female teams.
The following category criteria are accurate as of the 2020 season."2020 Series Information", Australian HPV Super Series, Adelaide, January 2020. Retrieved on 11 May 2020. + School categoriesDefinitionS1S1FJunior SchoolConsists of riders in Years 5 to 7 from a single school that are under the age of 14 on 1 January. Up to 20 riders per vehicleS2S2FMiddle SchoolConsists of riders in Year 10 or below from a single school that are under the age of 17 on 1 January. Up to 14 riders per vehicleS3S3FSenior SchoolConsists of riders in Year 12 or below from a single school that are under the age of 20 on 1 January. Up to 12 riders per vehicle
+ Community categoriesDefinitionC4C4FUnder 14Community based. Consists of riders that are under the age of 14 on 1 January. Up to 20 riders per vehicleC5Under 17Community based. Consists of riders that are under the age of 17 on 1 January. Up to 14 riders per vehicleC5FC6C6FUnder 20Community based. Consists of riders that are under the age of 20 on 1 January. Up to 12 riders per vehicleC7C7FOpenCommunity based. Consists of riders of any age. Up to 10 riders per vehicleC7MC7MFOpen – MastersCommunity based. Consists of riders that are aged 35 or older on 1 January. Up to 10 riders per vehicleC7SC7SFSoloAdelaide rounds only. 1 rider per vehicle only
Point system Position1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th...144th145th146th147th148th149th150th150149148147146145144143142141...7654321 From 2014 season each team's best two rounds from the 6 hour races are added to their result from the 24 hour race to determine their Series Championship total. From 2016, points are allocated by category result instead of overall result.
Events Mount Gambier, South Australia
This race, currently held in April is eight hours long and is held at McNamara Park, just outside of Mount Gambier, South Australia, on a 2.4 km closed circuit. The track made its debut in 2014 as an 8-hour non-series race before being integrated into the main series in 2017."2016 Update" , Australian HPV Super Series, Adelaide, 2 November 2015. Retrieved on 19 November 2015.
Loxton, South Australia
This race was a six-hour race and took place at Loxton, South Australia on a 1.37 km street circuit that incorporates Loxton's large centre roundabout. The track made its debut for the 2014 season. There was a slight modification made to the track at the 2018 race. This track heavily favours lighter bikes due to the climb on the southern side of the track. The race was removed from the AHPVSS roster in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fastest Individual Racing Lap Inaugural LayoutCategory TeamBikeDate Set Lap Time Ave Speed4Community Norwood MorialtaFocus20141:50.84249.692 km/h3Senior Secondary Xavier CollegeGreen Edge20142:08.92642.722 km/h3Senior Secondary [G] Pembroke SchoolThe Devil Wears Cleats20152:21.97538.796 km/h2Junior Secondary Pembroke SchoolEric The Half Bee20152:08.13942.985 km/h2Junior Secondary [G] Modbury High SchoolPink Panther20143:14.25928.354 km/h1Primary School Highgate SchoolHighgate Hotrod20152:39.68834.492 km/h1Primary School [G] Craigburn PrimaryCraigburn Crewsers-220143:33.24625.829 km/h
Greatest Race Distance Inaugural LayoutCategory Team BikeDate Set LapsDistanceAve SpeedAve Lap Time4Community Tri-Sled RacingTeam 12014153234.09 km39.015 km/h2:21.23Senior Secondary EDECFire Breathing Rubber Duckies2014149227.97 km37.995 km/h2:25.03Senior Secondary [G] Pembroke SchoolThe Devil Wears Cleats2015110168.3 km28.05 km/h3:16.42Junior Secondary Pembroke SchoolEric The Half Bee2015142217.26 km36.21 km/h2:32.12Junior Secondary [G] Seymour CollegeBlackwatch Racing201488134.64 km22.44 km/h4:05.51Primary School Highgate SchoolHighgate Hotrod2014104159.12 km26.52 km/h3:27.71Primary School [G] Craigburn PrimaryCraigburn Cruisers201478119.34 km19.89 km/h4:36.9
Victoria Park, Adelaide, South Australia
Two races, currently held in June and July, are six hours long and take place at Victoria Park, Adelaide on a closed-criterium track which is 1.354 km long. The fastest teams can achieve distances of over 250 km during these races. The Victoria Park track is now in its third incarnation. Prior to 2009 the track included an uphill segment of Wakefield Rd. From 2009 to 2012 the track used the southern hairpin and start line of the Adelaide Street Circuit and a new section running parallel to Wakefield Street. Late in 2012 it was confirmed by the Adelaide City Council that the redevelopment of Victoria Park had been given the green light. The redevelopment now includes an extension to the short track to take it past the heritage grandstand present on the site."Victoria Park Criterium Track to be extended", Adelaide City Council, Adelaide, December 2012. Retrieved on 13 December 2012. This track heavily favors the most aerodynamic bikes due to the lack of slow corners.
Fastest Individual Racing Lap