Development of the thyssenkrupp blue.cruiser
Under the International Luge Federation (FIL) schedule the serious competition gets underway on November 18/19 in Innsbruck, Austria – the opening race of the season. This is followed by events on the team’s home ground in Winterberg and Altenberg. They will then travel to Calgary, Canada and Lake Placid, USA, before returning to Lake Königssee in Germany for the Three Kings’ Day event on January 6/7 which traditionally starts off the New Year. Before the high point of the season in South Korea, world cup events take place in Oberhof/Germany, Lillehammer/Norway and Sigulda/Latvia, where the European titles will also be awarded.
Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken have been a team since 2010. After winning numerous titles, including the overall World Cup and the 2016 European Championship, they secured the Luge World Championship title in Innsbruck at the beginning of the year on a sled developed by thyssenkrupp. Their goal is to win gold in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea. “thyssenkrupp is a strong partner and opens up whole new possibilities in sled development. We’re delighted to have taken, together with the technology group, a further step towards South Korea,” says front driver Toni Eggert.
The development partnership with thyssenkrupp began three years ago with the aim of optimizing the handling characteristics of the luge. In close consultation with the drivers, engineers from thyssenkrupp have been able to contribute their extensive material and manufacturing expertise to the project. thyssenkrupp’s components specialists optimized the design of the runners, while the Group’s carbon experts examined and enhanced the pod. And experts from the steel division helped with the selection of the right steel for the blades, which ultimately decide between winning and losing.
Follow the progress of our two luge athletes here.
High-performance luge sleds are highly advanced pieces of equipment. Weight, aerodynamics and maneuverability are the most important criteria when it comes to slicing off vital seconds on the ice course. During the race the sleds are subjected to huge forces. The two-man sleds reach speeds of up to 140 kilometers per hour. Especially in bends, centrifugal forces of up to 1.3 tons act on the sled structure, placing extremely high demands on drivers and material.
