BBA NEWS

December 2007

Welcome to the British Bobsleigh Association’s latest newsletter, keeping you up to date and involved with your Association. 

The 2007/2008 season is in full swing.  As this newsletter comes to you the World Cup and Europa Cup teams will be competing in Lake Placid and Cesana.

Good luck to all the Athletes racing this season!

Igls – Venue for the British Championships 2008!

Preparations are under way for the British Championships, due to take place between 24th February and 1st March 2008 in Igls, Austria.  Igls, close to Innsbruck, has played host to the Winter Olympics twice – first in 1964 then again in 1976. 

The small resort boosts a wide choice of activities for sporty visitors.  For ski fans there are two 14km long runs; one is great for beginners and the other perfect for those with some experience.  You could also take an exhilarating toboggan ride, go ice-skating on the natural rink or even try out your alpine curling skills!  And of course, why not have a go at riding a bobsleigh for yourself – the Olympic bobsleigh run was built especially for the 1976 Olympic Winter Games and now offers everyone the chance to get involved.

Igls facts and stats:
Local mountain: the Patscherkofel
Ski trails: 2
Lifts: 7 (4 chair lifts and 2 surface lifts)
Cable cars: 1
Restaurants: 2
Bars: 3
Nearest train: Innsbruck (6km away)
Nearest Airport : Innsbruck provincial
Olympic bobsleigh track:
            Length: 1270m
            Curves: 14 (1 loop – the formidable 270° Kreissl Kurve!)
            Vertical drop: approx. 100m
            Max. bank length: 7m
            Artificial ice surface: 5,500m

If you are interested in attending the British Championships contact: matt.saunders@bobteamgb.org

Featured Sponsor: Scyron

As part of a three-year sponsorship deal, Scyron have provided the British Bobsleigh team with a cutting edge system allowing them to instantly analyse athlete performance trackside.  The system uses Scyron’s proven incident recognition technology.  Four cameras are positioned along the track, these wirelessly transmit images to a central reviewing station where special software allows the team to analyse their performance in minute detail. We believe Scyron’s system will allow the team to greatly improve their performance and outshine their competitors at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver!

As world leaders in intelligent surveillance and security solutions, Scyron offer expert consultancy services combined with an innovative and award-winning suite of video capture products.   Their clients benefit from solutions tailored to meet their specific security and surveillance requirements.  By automating many security and surveillance processes, time and cost involved is reduced.  This increases productivity as well as improving the quality of intelligence involved.

To find out more visit: http://www.scyron.co.uk/en/company/bobsleigh-sponsorship.php

Race Report

Europa Cup Round 01 - Igls, November 2007

The 2007-08 bobsleigh season opened with a Europa Cup race at Igls, which is set in the Tirol region of Austria, high up above the town of Innsbruck. This was the first of the six Meetings that comprise the Europa Cup; three before Christmas and three in the New Year. There were a number of World Cup teams competing, so the standard was very high, with large entries.

2-Man Bobsleigh Race

There was an extremely large entry of 47 bobsleighs for the very first race of the 2007-08 bobsleigh season, the 2-Man race at Igls on 22nd November 2007, and new rules for this year meant that only the top 20 after the first round qualified for a second run.

The race was won by the German crew of Maximillian Arndt and Rene Tiefert, with Beat Hefti and Thomas Lamparter of Switzerland taking second and Germany taking third and fourth places in a dominant performance.

The GB1 pairing of John Jackson and Julien Hughes-John came 14th and the GB2 pairing of John Hillman and Kenny Simm came 24th. The start times for John and Julien were 5.26 seconds in the first run and 5.27 seconds in the second run, which compare well with the 5.20 and 5.14 second start times of the winners.

It was the first race for Royal Marine John Jackson in a Singer sled belonging to the RAF and this is also his first full season in the Europa Cup. During practice 'Jacko' had been producing times in the top ten, but couldn't quite reproduce this in the race. This is the second season in the Europa Cup for the Army's John Hillman, who drove his new bobsleigh for the first time. Click here to read more.

Race reports written by Mark Carter.

Race reports for all this seasons competitions can be found at: http://www.bobteamgb.org/racereports/

Bobteam GB Winter 07-08 Competitions

This winter’s season is already well under way and here is a quick timetable of what’s coming up for both the World Cup and Europa Cup squads:

The season looks set to be jam-packed! Thank you for all your support.  We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter and welcome any comments and suggestions you may have for topics you would like to see featured, email: jo.ashton@bobteamgb.org.

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