04/16/24
February 28, 2010
Geoff Bodine takes NASCAR expertise to bobsled: The story about the "Night Train" and the first gold in 62 years for the USA.
Wow. What a terrible article.
It doesn't even give a HINT as to what makes a faster bobsled, or what design changes they implemented based on his information.
Is it the shape?
The materials?
The building process?
Mechanical/technological improvements?
I'm not suggesting they say what the secret is in detail, but even a CLUE would make his contribution seem more tangible.
So, in conclusion, Geoff Bodine's sleds go faster because they are imbued with Geoff Bodine's magical dust.
posted by grum@work at 01:54 PM on February 28, 2010
from another article: "We changed the way bobsleds are built around the world," Bodine said. "We did not copy any other bobsled. We looked at all of them, but we came up with all our own ideas and designs.
"In the front suspension, we use a torsion bar, where most of the other sleds use coil springs to control that suspension. Our frame is different, the shape of our body is all different, and that's all aerodynamics.
"Those things people can see, but of course, we add some things that aren't as visible that help these sleds go faster.
"I can't tell you about them."
posted by dviking at 03:34 PM on February 28, 2010
Bobsleigh has always had an anchor of tradition attached to engineering: crews would look at the dominant forces and try to emulate them, but also carry some idées fixes about what a bob should be. The Bodine sled is a bit like the disc wheel and time trial bars in cycling.
This is as it should be, for bobsled racing should be more about the men on the team than the sled.
Agreed. And the funding directed towards certain events -- bob for one, but also Nordic combined, where the US got 1-2 -- is going to make the sport better.
posted by etagloh at 11:09 PM on February 28, 2010
The unofficial motto of NASCAR is "If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'. Now I'm not saying that Geoff Bodine bends the rules, but somehow he forgot to mention the Ford V8 engine that came out of the Robert Yates Racing shop. That puppy will do 120 MPH uphill!
Only kidding. It's remarkable how much of an improvement in performance that was available in bobsled technology. The design will now be copied, and USA domination of the sport will disappear in a few years. This is as it should be, for bobsled racing should be more about the men on the team than the sled.