Records tumble at the Human Powered Speed Championships

Marti Daily
Winning, pg. 76
photos by John Giles

The big news of the day was 57.394 mph at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sound a bit slow for that famed oval, home of the Indianapolis 500? Not to hundreds of spectators, crew members, and one particular vehicle! It was a two-wheeled, one rider world record set by Carl Sundquist, an Indianapolis track racer, in Tim Brummer’s Lightning X-2, during the 10th Annual International Human Powered Speed Championships, held in late September 1984. The Lightning X-2, looking somewhat like an overgrown, bright yellow snail, certainly proved itself worthy of the name. It not only defended its world record speed, set in last year’s competition at over 54 mph, but created a new target for the world’s human-powered vehicle fraternity.

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