Community & Business
30 May, 2025
Pedal to the metal
The only Queensland high school that will have a team compete at the Australian Human Powered Vehicle Super Series is Clifton State High School - and it has not one, but two.
Clifton State High School (CSHS) has had human powered vehicle (HPV) teams for several years now and so far 2025 is shaping up to be easily the best year yet, even after the girls’ team became state champions last year.
Students from year 10 to year 12 comprise the senior teams.
In a recent performance, both the Senior Boys and the Senior Girls teams easily won their races.
Over a six hour race, they were both ahead of second place by 24 laps, meaning it would take second place 51 more minutes of racing to catch up.
Mathematics and chemistry teacher Matt McCurdy and business teacher Keiran Carson help run the school’s HPV program, in the roles of team manager and team logistics respectively.
Mr McCurdy said in the two races the teams have had so far this year, at the Gold Coast and at Ipswich, both teams have had extremely solid performances.
Competing against other state high schools with much larger student populations and against private schools with the best equipment and funding available, CSHS students have had to resort to what is left to them - a strong work ethic - and they have that in spades.
Mr McCurdy and Mr Carson said the boys and girls teams get to school early every morning to hit the gym and do a cycle session.
It doesn’t stop there, dedicating their time to HPV during their lunch breaks, after school, on the weekends and even during school holidays.
“These kids are committed,” Mr Carson said.
“We upset some schools with how well we go.
“They’re success is due to working as a team.”
Each HPV team includes eight riders and a dedicated pit crew.
As the race is continuous over several hours, every rider and pit crew member needs to be at the top of their game or all the team could be in great jeopardy.
The mix of year levels and skills needed to excel at HPV have seen students, who would not do so otherwise, mix and build rapport.
Mr Carson said the program has helped form new friendships.
The Road to Murray Bridge
The biggest Human Powered Vehicle race in the world - the Australian Human Powered Vehicle Super Series - takes place each year in the town of Murray Bridge, South Australia, about an hour’s drive outside Adelaide.
This year, for the first time, Clifton State High School will be competing.
This race sees the best high schools in Australia compete against representative teams,
university teams and performance racing teams.
It has been running for 40 years.
Unable to attend trials due to the large travel distance, Mr McCurdy said CSHS applied to enter on the back of its two dominant performances on the Gold Coast and in Ipswich this year.
Both the Senior Boys and Senior Girls teams were accepted by the board and now have their eyes set on the 19-21 September meet.
“It’s a massive achievement,” he said.
CSHS will be the only school from Queensland competing and a representative team is the only other from the state.
Mr McCurdy said some of the year 12 boys have been competing since year 8 so Murray Bridge will be the culmination of five years of hard work and dedication.
For some of the students, it will be their first time leaving Queensland and their first time on a plane.
The next few months will be jam packed, with races coming up in Gladstone, Emerald and in Toowoomba on 2 August.
Supporters are very much welcome to cheer on the teams as they compete at the Peter Watts Criterium Track in Glenvale from 8.30am.
This will be a ‘home game’ of sorts for CSHS as they train there on Thursday afternoons.
How You Can Help
It is no easy feat to transport two teams of students, staff and equipment from Clifton to a destination in South Australia.
The families of the students involved have paid for the airfares from Brisbane to Adelaide, however the human powered vehicles themselves will need to travel by road from Clifton to Murray Bridge, a distance of 1,800 kilometres.
To help raise funds for the big journey, an online raffle is being run over the coming weeks and months.
Participating students will be out and about in Clifton, Nobby, Greenmount and Allora to help sell tickets by sharing a QR code which will link interested people with the raffle online.
There are six excellent prizes, fully donated by local businesses that are supporting the program.
The prizes include a barbecue, esky, wine and gift box of goodies from Kialla Pure Foods.
Mr Carson said the school needs $4,000 to cover registration, equipment transportation and camping fees, with any excess funds going to the other events on the HPV calendar.
The raffle was launched at the end of last week will end in late August.
Click here to enter the raffle and find out more about the prizes and sponsors.
