Photo: BMW
Under the radar and known mostly to sports fans, BMW has been involved with the Winter Olympics since the 1980s, when it partnered with the German Bobsleigh, Luge, and Skeleton Federation.
Until this month, this partnership has been limited to the sports federation using BMW's expertise when it comes to aerodynamics, ergonomics and structural analysis to create its own speedsters for the frozen tracks.
For the 2022 Winter Olympics, however, BMW decided to take on a more active role and created a two-man bobsled prototype that will be used by the federation.
Usually, bobsleds are made of aluminum and steel, but BMW, being a big fan of carbon fiber, used this material for the prototype. To comply with international regulations, the bobsled can have a length of at most 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in).
The Germans say they will be testing the apparatus on an ice track by the end of the year.
Bobsled, also known as bobsleigh, is a sport that pits teams of two to four people against each other as they sit tucked into a sled that moves at extremely high speeds on a twisted, semi-enclosed ice track.
The speeds which can be reached in such sleds are tremendous. Usually, they can reach on average 150 kph (93 mph), but the world record is much higher than that, sitting at 201 kph (125 mph).
Because of the high speeds, the sport has seen over the years its share of tragedies, with 42 deaths being reported since 1924 when it was included in the Winter Olympics program. The most recent fatality occurred in 2004 when German national Yvonne Cernota died during a practice run.
The new bobsled for the German team is not the first ever made by BMW. Back in 2014, the USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation developed a similar contraption which landed the U.S. its first Olympic bob medal in 62 years.
For the 2022 Winter Olympics, however, BMW decided to take on a more active role and created a two-man bobsled prototype that will be used by the federation.
Usually, bobsleds are made of aluminum and steel, but BMW, being a big fan of carbon fiber, used this material for the prototype. To comply with international regulations, the bobsled can have a length of at most 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in).
The Germans say they will be testing the apparatus on an ice track by the end of the year.
Bobsled, also known as bobsleigh, is a sport that pits teams of two to four people against each other as they sit tucked into a sled that moves at extremely high speeds on a twisted, semi-enclosed ice track.
The speeds which can be reached in such sleds are tremendous. Usually, they can reach on average 150 kph (93 mph), but the world record is much higher than that, sitting at 201 kph (125 mph).
Because of the high speeds, the sport has seen over the years its share of tragedies, with 42 deaths being reported since 1924 when it was included in the Winter Olympics program. The most recent fatality occurred in 2004 when German national Yvonne Cernota died during a practice run.
The new bobsled for the German team is not the first ever made by BMW. Back in 2014, the USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation developed a similar contraption which landed the U.S. its first Olympic bob medal in 62 years.
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