EXCALIBUR BOBSLED CUTS FINE LINE AT LAKE PLACID

o you're mechanically inclined and you would like to ' _ build a bobsled from the the ice up. Take the advice of David B. Stevens, president of Excalibur Automobile Corporation don't hold your breath until the project is completed.
    The Excalibur bobsled seemed a relatively simple project at the start. With David's background in race cars, automotive engineering and design, the challenge of reinventing the bobsled was truly exciting.
    The Excalibur Automobile Corporation first became interested in bobsleds back in 1965 when it consulted with General Motors on the development of an Excalibur bobsled using variations of their design. At that time General Motors had designed a special experimental bobsled that set a track record at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid. The sled was then taken to St. Moritz, Switzerland, to compete in the World competitions. The GM sled broke down during the international competitions and due to the un- favorable publicity that resulted, General Motors pulled out of bob- sledding.
    Since that time, the Italian-made Podar and Siorpaes sleds, which are standard equipment used by every nation involved in bobsledding, have seemed to be adequate. Very little development has gone into updating bobsled technology. It seems to be easier for countries involved in bob- sledding to make aerodynamic and engineering changes on the Italian sleds, rather than put time, energy and money into the development of a new sled design. This is exemplified by the East German sleds that were used in the 1980 Olympic competition. Their superiority in the sport was due to the technological expertise they used in modifying the Italian sleds. The East German bobsled was the first to use an independent suspension in competition. The independent suspension coupled with sleek aerodynamics and superior driver skill won medals for them in both the two-man and four-man Olympic races.
    In November of 1978, Bob Said, former U.S.A. Olympic bobsled driver, approached the Excalibur Automobile

able to steer through the turns with no rear end skidding, due to a radical new design in steering geometry. This helped to achieve a minimum amount of side wall contact, which is so destructive to sleds. The highly sophisticated suspension system stabilized the attitude of the sled over the rough ice so inherent to the bobrun and gave the driver the ability to control the sled in the straights.
    The test runs in March also proved the four runner steering system, which had never been used in bobsledding before. The Italian sleds have only front runner steering. The driver could drive the Excalibur sled to any point on the track he desired.
    The Excalibur sled negotiates like a skateboard. When the front runners go down the track, the pressure of the runners against the ice creates a water layer under the runners. If the rear runners follow in the same track as the front runners, as in the Excalibur sled, only two lines are left in the ice, thereby reducing ice friction which ultimately means greater speed.
    In December of 1979, when the track at Mt. Van Hovenberg opened, the first people to use it were the Europeans, who were practicing for the upcoming Olympic competitions. David Stevens decided to wait until the Europeans had left Lake Placid before testing the improvements on the Excalibur sled that had been made over the summer.
    There had been a lot of international curiosity and speculation about the sled, as up to that time the project had been shrouded in secrecy. The development of the sled had been going along so well, at that point, that there was still a chance that it could be used in the 1980 Olympics. David didn't want to risk the Europeans getting a peek at it and copying any of the sophisticated engineering changes he had made.
    In December, the enthusiasm surrounding the project was felt all over the bobrun. Excalibur was not the first group to bring an experimental sled to Lake Placid. Other people have tried, but usually left after a few days, discouraged by the problems they faced in poor design or development. Everybody involved in the sport of   bobsledding  has

David Stevens with the Excalibur bobsled which attracted the excitement and interest of Lake Placid bobsledders earlier this year.



Corporation with the hope that he could generate enough interest on the part of the firm to get them to commit to designing and building a bobsled.
    The project was appealing to the corporation because after all, 1980 was the year of the XIII Winter Olympics, which were to be held in Lake Placid, New York, and wouldn't it be exciting if an American designed bobsled would be driven to an American victory on American soil?
    The project was okayed by the board of directors and in March of 1979 a totally revolutionary Excalibur bobsled was on the track at Mt. Van Hoevenberg.
    Initial runs of the Excalibur bobsled from the half mile indicated that the sled would be safer and much easier to control    at    high   speeds. The     sled   was