AkzoNobel’s Vehicle Refinishes has renewed its sponsorship of the Human Power Team (HPT) Delft and Amsterdam which is aiming to recapture the World Human Powered Speed record.

HPT Delft and Amsterdam had won the men’s category in the World Human Powered Speed Challenge for four years in a row, and held the world human powered speed record until last year. The team will now be heading to the Nevada Desert in September to compete with other developers of super-aerodynamic bicycles.

The aim is to push the record beyond 140 km/h and Sikkens coatings from AkzoNobel have an important role to play in reducing the all important drag factor. These lightweight finishes are used to give the carbon structure of the shell a smooth, ultra aerodynamic surface. Team Manager Hugo Lambriex comments, “Even the slightest imperfection can greatly affect the bike’s top speed. A fly on the nose of the bike, for example, could cost us 10 km/h!”

The project sees students from the Delft University of Technology and VU University Amsterdam come together to design, construct and test a new bike each year.

Remco Maassen van den Brink, Marketing Director for AkzoNobel’s Vehicle Refinishes business, commented, “We are delighted to see 20 students of varying age, experience and knowledge collaborating in a team effort that mirrors our ‘winning together’ approach. Their shared spirit of innovation, and the way they rapidly learn to solve problems, make improvements and achieve everything within strict budgets and deadlines, is also very impressive. We hope our latest advances in lightweight, smooth and robust coatings will give them an extra competitive edge and we wish them great success.”