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From YourSITE.com Audi News
Ingolstadt – Not only on the race track but in other sporting disciplines as well, Audi stands for “Vorsprung durch Technik”. The athletes of the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV) now had a live experience of this claim: For one day, the winter athletes trained in the ultra-modern Audi wind tunnel centre to achieve further improvements of man and material. In downhill, slalom or Super-G races, thousandths of a second make the difference between victory and defeat. In addition to ability, physical condition and technology, the material is of major importance. The athletes of the Austrian Ski Association have a crucial advantage in this respect, even several months before the start to the new season. As partners of Audi, the Austrian athletes – like eight other national teams – benefit from the enormous technical know-how available in Ingolstadt. The wind tunnel centre in Ingolstadt is regarded as one of the most modern worldwide. One reason why the facility is particularly popular with athletes is the fact that the 2.6-megawatt turbine can easily simulate speeds of up to 300 kph, while remaining remarkably silent: At 160 kph, for example, the noise level is merely 60 decibels – this is hardly louder than skis gliding through the snow. Whereas the German Ski Association (DSV) has been supported by Audi for more than two decades, the Austrian Ski Association is one of the youngest members of the winter sport family, which also includes Sweden, Finland, France, Liechtenstein, Italy, Switzerland as well as the United States of America. After the partnership started at the beginning of the past season, today marked the first visit of the Austrians in Ingolstadt. Four female and six male athletes took advantage of the opportunities offered by the unique and professional training conditions. In addition to Rainer Schönfelder, the bronze medal winner in Turin, and Super-G World Cup winner Hannes Reichelt, Christoph Gruber, Christoph Alster, Stephan Görgl and Peter Strugger came to Ingolstadt. The ladies’ team was represented by silver medallist Nicole Hosp and her team-mates Elisabeth Görgl, Maria Holaus and Andrea Fischbacher. “This was an exciting and interesting day. Training at the Audi wind tunnel is the icing on the cake as far as our preparations for the world cup season are concerned,” Hannes Reichelt summed up the activities in the evening. © Copyright 2004 by YourSITE.com |
