HPV & Velomobile Research Chronology

Trisled's HPV research has culminated in the development of our current racing and
velomobile models. Below is a brief snapshot of these models, the history behind them, and a list of the achievements and records they hold.

FastBack 1998
A refined version of this model is commercially available as the Fast Back Racing HPV and the FB10 Racing HPV



On road date: December 1997

Racing achievements:

Australian 24-hour distance record

1st place at both the 1998 AIPP HPV Super Series and Wonthaggi 24-hour Human Powered Grand Prix

Fastest lap and 2nd place at the 1999 AIPP HPV Super Series

1st place at Technology Challenge Maryborough 2007, 2008 and 2009 (Nanango State High School) The 1998 Fast Back was the 'mother' model to most of the machines we build today. It represented a major step forward in layout, refinement of handling and steering geometry. We still manufacture an improved version of this machine for school racing teams, as it offers great performance, reliability and safety.

FastBack 1999



On road date: 1999

Racing achievements:

2nd place at both the 1999 AIPP HPV Super Series and Maryborough Energy Breakthrough

11st place at Wonthaggi 24-hour Human Powered Grand Prix

FastBack Tandem 2000



On road date: 2000

Racing achievements:

11st place Wonthaggi 24-hour Human Powered Grand Prix

Sorcerer Series I



On road date: August 2001

Racing achievements: 3rd place at 2001 AIPP HPV Super Series, The Sorcerer Series I fairing was Trisled’s first composite-bodied machine. It was also the beginning of a new direction for Trisled in aerodymamics and windscreen configuration. We had a new aim: to go racing on Sunday and ride to work Monday with the same machine. The Sorcerer Series 1 vehicle was our first attempt at achieving a balance between practicality and speed. We also managed to stumble across the most weather-resistant racing format. By putting the windscreen just over the rider's head, fogging and ventilation could be better managed with minimal speed penalty.

Sorcerer Series II
Commercially available as the Sorcerer Racing HPV.



On road date: September 2002

Racing achievements:

1st place and 24 hour distance record at 2002 AIPP HPV Super Series

2nd place at 2003 AIPP HPV Super Series

3rd place 2004 AIPP HPV Super Series

2nd place at 2006 & 2008 Wonthaggi Human Powered Grand Prix

Australian hour record, Ben Goodall, 2004

1st place at 2009 AIPP HPV Super Series Testing of the Sorcerer I fairing revealed opportunities for major improvements in both aerodynamic frontal area and chassis performance. More than 15 per cent of the frontal area was cut away and many of the aerodynamic transitions were softened. A new chassis was developed with improved geometry for the disc brake front end, which became the prototype for the Sorcerer Racing HPV and Apex recreational trike models we offer today. Many other smaller innovations were tested, such as live axle front wheels, a soft top hatch, moving wheel covers, rear wheel fairings and an openable windscreen.

Sorcerer Series III



On road date: February 2007

Racing achievements:

2nd place 2007 Wonthaggi 24-hour Human Powered Grand Prix

3rd place AIPP HPV Super Series - Round 1 Following the success of the second Sorcerer there were two areas Trisled wanted to investigate further. One limitation of most HPV's is the limited ventilation and general visibility for road use. The obvious solution to this issue was to maximise the aerodynamics of a head-out fairing by designing the hatch around the rider’s head. The second area of investigation was wheel camber. The aim was to cowl in the wheels for maximum aerodynamic benefit, while still maintaining a good turning circle and handling. A unique triple kingpin cross-member was developed which used a linkage to create a virtual kingpin axis allowing the wheel to be cambered at 22 degrees. Although effective, this development was abandoned as it was unable to match the handling and performance of the Sorcerer Series II development.

Sorcerer Series IV
Commercially available as the Sorcerer Series IV Velomobile



On road date: September 2007

Racing achievements:

4th place AIPP HPV Super Series - Round 3

2nd place AIPP HPV Super Series - overall placing (culmination of series III and IV fairings) On reflection of the progress made with MK III, the next direction was clear: take all of the best elements from the three versions to create a machine with great road-use possibilities as well as maintaining enough speed to hold its own on a race track. Development returned to the Apex chassis with some improvements made to seating position. Following aerodynamic testing, refinements were made to the shape and frontal area. Wheel arches were added to the front wheels for weather protection and improvements to the entry hatch were also explored. As a result of this development, the series IV Sorcerer is Tri-Sled’s current practical velomobile model.

Avatar
Commercially available as the Avatar SuperVelo




On road date: August 2008

Racing achievements:

6th place AIPP HPV Super Series - Round 3
This unique design represents a new era of development and manufacturing for Trisled, drawing on automotive methods for improved precision and performance. Avatar was designed with CAD software and the molds were five axis routed on an NC machine. This allowed for more design freedom to optimilise the format and improve accuracy. Combined with Trisled's experience in the workshop, this model promises some exciting potential. 'Overzealous'



On road date: 2008

Achievements:

Australian 12-hour record, Jeff Nielsen, 490.25km, 2008

Australian eight-man 24-hour record, 1181km, 2008 (current)

World low altitude trike hour record, Jeff Nielsen, 61.81km, 2009 (current)

Australian low-altitude land speed record, Jeff Nielsen, 82.66 km/h, 2009 (current) Overzealous is a one-off modified Sorcerer Series II vehicle, which was built for the specific purpose of breaking records. And breaking records is what this machine has done! Although it was superseded in 2010 by its smaller and lighter cousin, 'a lil overzealous' (see below), Overzealous is still the fastest HPV in Australia!

Aqulia


On road date: October 2009

Achievements:

3rd Place Casey Cycling Festival 2010

3rd Place Wonthaggi Human Powered Grand Prix 2010 After many years of developing and racing HPV's with a focus on practical real-world outcomes, Aquila represents a return to our earlier focus on machines designed purely for the racing circuit. Aquila builds on Trisled's decade-old FastBack series, sharing many similarities with our 1999 FastBack model.

'A lil overzealous'



On road date: April 2010

Achievements:

Australian 12-hour record, Jeff Nielsen, 2010 (current)

Australian 6-hour record, Jeff Nielsen, 2010 (current)

World solo 24-hour record, Jeff Nielsen, 1109km, 2010 (current)

World 1000km record, Jeff Nielsen, 21 hours and 21 minutes, 2010 (current) A lil overzealous is a 'cut and shut' modified Sorcerer Series II vehicle, built for attempting the world 24-hour record. A lil overzealous is exactly that: a smaller and lighter version of our previous record-setting vehicle, 'Overzealous'.