BMW North America is the Official Mobility Partner for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). The german manufacturer announced that the U.S. Men’s Bobsled Team will race the BMW two-man bobsled for the first time at the FIBT World Cup in Igls, Austria this Saturday, Jan. 19. 

Developed in collaboration with the USA Bobsled & Skeleton Federation (USBSF), BMW applied its design and engineering expertise to redesign the two-man sled in the hopes of helping Team USA chase its first Olympic gold medal in the event since 1936.

BMW has paired intelligent lightweight materials, such as carbon fiber, with optimized aerodynamics to design the new sled. The result is a significantly lighter body shell with a low and centralized center of gravity.

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This is the second BMW two-man bobsled prototype developed for Team USA, and it will remain in development for the remainder of the 2012/2013 FIBT World Cup competition season. 

BMW will continue gathering data and feedback from the athletes, coaches and individual races to enhance the performance of the new sled in preparation for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Source: BMW