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Have you ever
wondered what it's like to drive a speeding bobsleigh at 85mph on
an ice track with no brakes?
Me too!
So to scratch
this adrenaline-fused itch I was lucky enough to join the army at
its Ice Sport Camp in Austria.
Corner five |
I recently discovered
an interest in bobsleighing and after a few trials with the GB team
decided to get fit and really have a go at getting in the squad.
Basically you
are either a driver or a crew man, and as it's early days for me,
the army's one week course in bobsleigh driving was perfect to see
if I could do it.
I was one of
a handful of civilians on the course, although if your thinking
about doing it don't let this put you off - everyone was very friendly
and supportive.
Basically there
were three sports being taught on the camp: bobsleigh, luge and
skeleton.
Sean Olsson
- Bronze medalist 1998 |
My coach for
most of the week was Olympic bronze medalist Sean Olsson who drove
our four man bob in the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan.
I asked him
if he ever got nervous before driving.
"Yes -
every time before I go down I still feel a little on edge and that
never goes away.
"I have
been doing this for 12 years and I'm still learning to drive. You
can never be complacent in this sport because the moment you do
you'll crash," he said.
No wonder this
sport is nicknamed Formula 1 on ice.
We arrived at
our hotel in Igls near Innsbruck on Sunday afternoon after travelling
overnight on a coach from London.
Igls track
- 14 corners |
Although we
were all tired, after a short break the training began.
We all went
to the track to see the army's bobsleighs and learn how to unload
them from the trucks, bolt on the runners and carry the 200kg flyers.
Then time to
walk the course, an essential part of driving successfully and something
we would do every day before beginning a run.
Each of the
14 corners has to be memorised and the driver must know how to steer
each one at speed.
Corner 13
into 14 |
This is harder
than it sounds believe me. We were also explained the physics behind
the sport.
As you go into
a corner you must let the bob gain height before you steer out of
it - if you turn too quickly the bob will have too much energy and
crash you into the bottom of the track. This all involves split
second timing.
Monday:
We all began at the Damenstart, about a third of the way down the
course, covering corners 5-14.
By starting
here the bob wouldn't go too fast too soon. We were all a little
bit nervous but very excited too.
Each driver
had two goes in a two man bob and then the passenger or brake man
would take over the driving.
I managed not
to crash on my first day, but the level of concentration needed
is astonishing and the track at Igls is meant to be one of the easiest
and slowest in the world.
We all had a
few beers that night to celebrate our new experience and to calm
the nerves - I didn't crash but 14 others did and had ice burns
on their shoulders to prove it.
Tuesday:
My first run went OK and so I was allowed to try the course from
the very top! Fortunately it was snowing and so the ice was a little
slow.
Of course I
was nervous, but as I began sliding towards corner one I just kept
telling myself 'You can do this'. It worked because I got down and
the rush of adrenaline was awesome. Let's go again!
Wednesday:
More of the same here although out time on the ice was cut short
because one of the chaps sadly cut his chin rather badly in a crash
and had to be taken to hospital.
Now this really
affected me. I was scared, true, but to actually see someone injured
played on my mind and was too prove trouble the next day.
Thursday:
Good news - we'd had a clear night and conditions were very
good - no snow and about -7C, which meant the ice would be very
fast today.
Unfortunately
it proved a little too fast for me. Right from start the ice was
really quick and by turn nine I lost my concentration and crashed.
This does hurt
and as long as you stay low in the bob and try to keep your shoulders
off the ice you won't get too badly hurt, just bruised and shaken.
I was shook
up, but jumped straight back in the bob and did it again within
minutes and this time didn't crash.
Friday: Our
last day on the ice and again the conditions were very good. I had
really psyched myself up this time as I wasn't happy about crashing
yesterday.
As it goes I
did OK, but Sean Olsson's analysis of my driving now was spot on.
I had tensed
up and was driving too rigidly. The crash and the conditions had
got the better of me and I was now finding out just how mentally
and physically demanding the sport is.
Friday was our
last night and so we all had a few beers and celebrated our achievements.
Two officers
from the Queens Dragoon Guard joined me in the festivities and reflected
on the last week.
Lt Matt Perriss
said, "This has been the most exciting experience of my life."
Lt Gavin Younger
agreed with those sentiments and said, "I am glad to be alive.
This is a very frightening sport."
As for me well
I thoroughly enjoyed it and it gave me yet another spin in life
because it has shown how one can attempt something extremely challenging
and learn to cope under pressure.
Of course it's
dangerous but that's the fun and I'm hoping to repeat the experience
next year to continue my training and get in the GB team as a driver
or crew man.
Tony
Arnese
Tony Arnese
coming out of corner nine |
Friends |
View from
Igls track |
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Motorway
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