The cold, blustery and often wet conditions did not deter the 1000-odd participants nor the spectators, with scores of people present to cheer on the racers as they raced on a track that took in Abel, Thistle and Deborah streets.

With a severe weather warning in place organisers had braced for calamitous conditions, but the the race only had to stop for about an hour in the mid-afternoon when heavy rain and wind sparked safety concerns.

The nine-hour competition attracted entrants from across Victoria and even as far away as Adelaide.

Racers ranged in age from primary school students to adults, with professional racing teams among those competing.

Lynden Francis-Wright, who founded the event with Robin Kirby in 2013, said the race became bigger each year.

“The interest in the sport locally is just growing phenomenally,” Ms Francis-Wright said.

People’s environmental awareness was growing, she said, and the sport was exciting.

“Seeing these things going around the track is impressive,” Ms Francis-Wright said.

“It’s exciting, there’s thrills, there’s spills.”

The event attracted 38 teams from schools in the Bendigo area, a number of which won their categories, including White Hills Primary School, Bendigo Senior Secondary College, Lockwood Primary School, Creek Street Christian College and Weeroona College.

The aim of the human-powered vehicle race was to complete the most laps within the time frame, while entrants in the energy-efficient vehicle race aimed to do the greatest amount of laps on the smallest amount of fuel or battery power.

Saturday’s race was the third in a series of four events that make up the 2018 Victorian HPV Grand Prix Series, the others being held in Casey and Knox.

Ms Francis-Wright said the council was “hugely supportive”, and thanked businesses in the streets of the track area for being accommodating of the event.

Many of the school competitors will again put their racing and engineering skills to the test in November at the annual Energy Breakthrough in Maryborough.

Complete race results can be found online here.

Sixteen schools from the Bendigo area put their racing skills to the test in Saturday’s Grand Prix.

Among them was Maiden Gully Primary School, whose two teams Envy and Miss Zippy came third and eighth respectively in the junior category, having completed 163 laps and 140 laps.

“We’re just really proud of the kids, they rode really well and the teamwork was amazing,” Jess Kelly, one of the school’s team managers said.

Students are also collecting sponsorship for each lap completed in both Bendigo and the Energy Breakthrough in Maryborough later this year, which they will donate to Buy A Bale to support drought-affected farmers.

The school’s preparations for the HPV race calendar begin in March and continue throughout the year. Students train three times a week, including weekends.

But the school is not all about racing. 

Mrs Kelly said students also learned about sustainability and being environmentally-friendly each week as part of the program.

Any individuals or businesses interested in sponsoring the school’s teams for Buy A Bale can contact Maiden Gully Primary School.

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