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Congratulations to Team USA! Gold in 4-Man and Bronze in Women's Bob!
January 10, 2010
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - Melanie Troxel seemed to be the most surprised driver
on Mount Van Hoevenberg Sunday when she kept finding herself at or near
the top of the standings in the pair of races that comprised the Lucas Oil
Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge presented by Whelen Engineering.
A victorious Melanie Troxel
Photo/Todd Bissonette
The fastest woman in the world with seven NHRA wins spread over Top Fuel,
Funny Car and Top Alcohol Dragster grabbed the morning event which saw the
NHRA and NASCAR competitors race against the clock.
“This is just rookie luck here,” said Troxel, who struggled in the early
practice runs with several rollovers. “I was hitting a lot of walls. It
didn’t feel like a good run at all, but Boris (Said) told me to keep the
sled parallel to the track and that’s what I was doing instead of skidding
sideways.”
Photo/Todd Bissonette
She didn’t listen to everything Said told her, particularly when he said
that dragsters were supposed to hit the brake after four seconds.
Troxel was under 50 seconds in both legs and totaled one minute, 39.33 to
defeat NHRA’s Jeg Coughlin, Jr. by only .07 of a second.
After lunch, the annual elimination challenge match between the two
circuits saw Troxel advance to the final against NASCAR Rookie of the Year
Joey Logano in a one-heat shootout. But this time, Logano, in his third
Bodine event, emerged with the win by defeating Troxel by .27 of a second
down the 16-turn, three quarters of a mile course. His time was 49.81
seconds.
Photo/Todd Bissonette
"I'm happy with my time, and it makes it a ton of fun to finally get a
win,” said Logano as he sported a mock Boris Said curly-haired wig. “This
is a blast. I'm still not that good, but I got lucky. I just keep askin'
questions. Same as in my Cup car. I just ask questions. I didn't think I
had a chance against her." Prior to the victory, Logano took seventh in
the morning race.
Photo/Todd Bissonette
The cold Adirondack weekend made the technically demanding Lake Placid
course that much faster, particularly for the four newcomers to the event.
A crashed sled rips around the final curve of the Lake Placid Track.
Photo/Todd Bissonette
“This is a lot to take in after never sitting in one of these before,”
said the first and only female to race in the Bodine Challenge. “I’m proud
to be a part of this with Geoff Bodine. It made my weekend. I’ve been
through ups and downs - bruised shoulder, bruised ego - but I’m having the
best time. It’s incredible. Spectacular. But you can’t lose track of the
fact that we’re here to help the U.S. bobsled teams.”
Geoff Bodine at the unveiling of the design for the USA Olympic Sleds
Photo/Todd Bissonette
The drivers arrived Sunday morning to inspiring news that, earlier in the
day, American pilot Steve Holcomb took a silver medal and John Napier
picked up a bronze in a World Cup race in Koenigssee, Germany. With
Holcomb and Napier succeeding in Bo-Dyn bobsleds, the race car crowd
realized, first-hand, the impact of the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project and the
annual Challenge held in the two-time Winter Olympic village.
“It’s nice to come here and race, but what we’re really doing is raising
awareness for our American athletes and the job they are doing against the
best in the world,” stated Said, whose father Bob was a two-time bobsled
Olympian. “We want the public to know about them and want to help them
compete with American-made sleds at the highest level.”
Said, the top driver in the Bodine Challenge over the first three years,
struggled in Saturday’s qualifying with sled issues. Then he got the
Bo-Dyn treatment: a sled makeover by U.S. designer and builder Bob Cuneo.
Bob Cuneo takes a call at the Challenge. Cuneo, a former member of the materials commission for the International Federation of Bobsled and Skeleton, and the designer of the Bo-Dyn Sleds, worked fixing sleds for the drivers at the Bodine Challenge.
Photo/Todd Bissonette
“We worked on the sled all night,” said Cuneo. “We took it completely
apart. It had lots of little issues.” End result - a first run lead in the
morning event with the fastest time of both races. Skids and other
mistakes, however, relegated Said to third place behind Troxel and
Coughlin,Jr.
Boris Said, left, took bronze and Jeg Coughlin Jr., right, won silver. Geoff Bodine presents a winners helmet to Troxel. The National Guard brakemen stand behind their drivers.
Photo/Todd Bissonette
When the weekend finally concluded, there were smiles and handshakes all
around, many of them directed to the Army National Guard reservists who
acted as brakemen for the 10 drivers. Bodine, himself a one-time member,
was particularly indebted to their service at his event and, of course,
elsewhere.
Photo/Todd Bissonette
With the Challenge “family” now headed back to warmer climes, attention
turns to the Whistler Sliding Center, north of Vancouver. The 2010 Winter
Olympic site now will come into closer focus. In a month’s time, the
opening ceremony will take place. A few days later, the bobsleds will hit
the ice on what is called the fastest track in the world. Bo-Dyn sleds ran
fast there last winter and have not slowed down since.
With the improved technology from Bo-Dyn, world-class athletes and
coaching, and the interest from the auto racing community, the U.S. team
can feel the push as they try to end a gold medal drought that extends 62
years. That’s when Lake Placid bobsled driver Francis Tyler and brakeman
Bill D’Amico, also of Lake Placid, won the USA’s last Olympic title at St.
Moritz, Switzerland in 1948.
With some luck, a group of U.S. athletes will try to end one streak and
start another.
Action from the Fifth Annual Lucas Oil Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge
presented by Whelen Engineering will air on SPEED on Jan. 24 and Jan. 31
with a pair of two-hour programs.
What Daytona is to auto racing Lake Placid is to bobsledding
on Mount Van Hoevenberg Sunday when she kept finding herself at or near
the top of the standings in the pair of races that comprised the Lucas Oil
Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge presented by Whelen Engineering.
A victorious Melanie Troxel
Photo/Todd Bissonette
The fastest woman in the world with seven NHRA wins spread over Top Fuel,
Funny Car and Top Alcohol Dragster grabbed the morning event which saw the
NHRA and NASCAR competitors race against the clock.
“This is just rookie luck here,” said Troxel, who struggled in the early
practice runs with several rollovers. “I was hitting a lot of walls. It
didn’t feel like a good run at all, but Boris (Said) told me to keep the
sled parallel to the track and that’s what I was doing instead of skidding
sideways.”
Photo/Todd Bissonette
She didn’t listen to everything Said told her, particularly when he said
that dragsters were supposed to hit the brake after four seconds.
Troxel was under 50 seconds in both legs and totaled one minute, 39.33 to
defeat NHRA’s Jeg Coughlin, Jr. by only .07 of a second.
After lunch, the annual elimination challenge match between the two
circuits saw Troxel advance to the final against NASCAR Rookie of the Year
Joey Logano in a one-heat shootout. But this time, Logano, in his third
Bodine event, emerged with the win by defeating Troxel by .27 of a second
down the 16-turn, three quarters of a mile course. His time was 49.81
seconds.
Photo/Todd Bissonette
"I'm happy with my time, and it makes it a ton of fun to finally get a
win,” said Logano as he sported a mock Boris Said curly-haired wig. “This
is a blast. I'm still not that good, but I got lucky. I just keep askin'
questions. Same as in my Cup car. I just ask questions. I didn't think I
had a chance against her." Prior to the victory, Logano took seventh in
the morning race.
Photo/Todd Bissonette
The cold Adirondack weekend made the technically demanding Lake Placid
course that much faster, particularly for the four newcomers to the event.
A crashed sled rips around the final curve of the Lake Placid Track.
Photo/Todd Bissonette
“This is a lot to take in after never sitting in one of these before,”
said the first and only female to race in the Bodine Challenge. “I’m proud
to be a part of this with Geoff Bodine. It made my weekend. I’ve been
through ups and downs - bruised shoulder, bruised ego - but I’m having the
best time. It’s incredible. Spectacular. But you can’t lose track of the
fact that we’re here to help the U.S. bobsled teams.”
Geoff Bodine at the unveiling of the design for the USA Olympic Sleds
Photo/Todd Bissonette
The drivers arrived Sunday morning to inspiring news that, earlier in the
day, American pilot Steve Holcomb took a silver medal and John Napier
picked up a bronze in a World Cup race in Koenigssee, Germany. With
Holcomb and Napier succeeding in Bo-Dyn bobsleds, the race car crowd
realized, first-hand, the impact of the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project and the
annual Challenge held in the two-time Winter Olympic village.
“It’s nice to come here and race, but what we’re really doing is raising
awareness for our American athletes and the job they are doing against the
best in the world,” stated Said, whose father Bob was a two-time bobsled
Olympian. “We want the public to know about them and want to help them
compete with American-made sleds at the highest level.”
Said, the top driver in the Bodine Challenge over the first three years,
struggled in Saturday’s qualifying with sled issues. Then he got the
Bo-Dyn treatment: a sled makeover by U.S. designer and builder Bob Cuneo.
Bob Cuneo takes a call at the Challenge. Cuneo, a former member of the materials commission for the International Federation of Bobsled and Skeleton, and the designer of the Bo-Dyn Sleds, worked fixing sleds for the drivers at the Bodine Challenge.
Photo/Todd Bissonette
“We worked on the sled all night,” said Cuneo. “We took it completely
apart. It had lots of little issues.” End result - a first run lead in the
morning event with the fastest time of both races. Skids and other
mistakes, however, relegated Said to third place behind Troxel and
Coughlin,Jr.
Boris Said, left, took bronze and Jeg Coughlin Jr., right, won silver. Geoff Bodine presents a winners helmet to Troxel. The National Guard brakemen stand behind their drivers.
Photo/Todd Bissonette
When the weekend finally concluded, there were smiles and handshakes all
around, many of them directed to the Army National Guard reservists who
acted as brakemen for the 10 drivers. Bodine, himself a one-time member,
was particularly indebted to their service at his event and, of course,
elsewhere.
Photo/Todd Bissonette
With the Challenge “family” now headed back to warmer climes, attention
turns to the Whistler Sliding Center, north of Vancouver. The 2010 Winter
Olympic site now will come into closer focus. In a month’s time, the
opening ceremony will take place. A few days later, the bobsleds will hit
the ice on what is called the fastest track in the world. Bo-Dyn sleds ran
fast there last winter and have not slowed down since.
With the improved technology from Bo-Dyn, world-class athletes and
coaching, and the interest from the auto racing community, the U.S. team
can feel the push as they try to end a gold medal drought that extends 62
years. That’s when Lake Placid bobsled driver Francis Tyler and brakeman
Bill D’Amico, also of Lake Placid, won the USA’s last Olympic title at St.
Moritz, Switzerland in 1948.
With some luck, a group of U.S. athletes will try to end one streak and
start another.
Action from the Fifth Annual Lucas Oil Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge
presented by Whelen Engineering will air on SPEED on Jan. 24 and Jan. 31
with a pair of two-hour programs.
What Daytona is to auto racing Lake Placid is to bobsledding
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