[Mark]

BIMMERPOST NEWS

BMW supports ALL athletes by building an incredible performance wheelchair

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Its that Olympics time of the year and BMW is one to always be involved in some way/shape/form. This year, BMW is showcasing an incredible performance wheelchair designed for Paralympians. I'm sure you've seen short little spots featuring this chair during the Olympics coverage, but they have produced a longer video titled "Built for Gold"

The video stars Josh George who won gold at the 2008 Paralymping games in Beijing. The video beautifully shows him as a pure athlete and one forgets about the chair itself. Whats I love about this is that BMW is using its corporate resources to bring greater attention the Paralympics.

PRESS RELEASE + Expand

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – April 27, 2016… BMW of North America, the Official Mobility Partner of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), today announced the official unveil of its new racing wheelchair designed for the U.S. Paralympics Track and Field Team. BMW designers are working in close collaboration with Team USA athletes and coaches to design and develop the racing wheelchair which is set to make its competitive debut at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Developed by world-class designers and engineers, the new racing wheelchair draws upon the aesthetics and engineering of the automaker’s signature vehicle design. Encompassing BMW’s core competencies and fundamentals, the wheelchair features modernized aerodynamic efficiencies, carbon fiber material, a complete chassis redesign and a personalized approach for customized athlete fit.

“Working on this project has been a truly rewarding experience for my team and we’re proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish in the last year and half with these athletes and their coaches,” said Brad Cracchiola, Associate Director, BMW Group DesignWorks. “From fittings and immersion sessions, to data analysis and real-time testing, we had the unique opportunity to build a fully customized racing device. We’re eager to complete the final product and look forward to watching Team USA compete.”

“Our partnership with Team USA over the last six years has been a remarkable journey, but the most rewarding part of it all has been the direct collaboration with our athletes,” said Trudy Hardy, Vice President, Marketing, BMW of North America. “Their dedication to their sport and their fans is unprecedented, and as a company dedicated to performance and mobility, this has been a project that felt right at home for us and we’re honored to be part of it.”

With the help of Team USA athletes, BMW will work over the next few months to continue to adjust and improve the wheelchair in the lead up to the Games. The final fleet of wheelchairs for use in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games is slated to be delivered to the U.S. Paralympics track and field racers in the summer of 2016.

BMW has been implementing its resources to advance the training and performance goals of Team USA since signing on as a sponsor in 2010. The BMW racing wheelchair is the company’s fourth technology transfer project, following the delivery of a two-man bobsled which helped Team USA overcome a 62-year medal drought at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. To learn more about BMW’s partnership with the USOC and National Governing Bodies USA Bobsled & Skeleton, USA Swimming, USA Track & Field, USA Golf and U.S. Paralympics Track and Field visit www.bmwusanews.com.

[stvding]

Originally Posted by Mark

Its that Olympics time of the year and BMW is one to always be involved in some way/shape/form. This year, BMW is showcasing an incredible performance wheelchair designed for Paralympians. I'm sure you've seen short little spots featuring this chair during the Olympics coverage, but they have produced a longer video titled "Built for Gold"

The video stars Josh George who won gold at the 2008 Paralymping games in Beijing. The video beautifully shows him as a pure athlete and one forgets about the chair itself. Whats I love about this is that BMW is using its corporate resources to bring greater attention the Paralympics.

Attachment 1471627

Attachment 1471628

PRESS RELEASE + Expand

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – April 27, 2016… BMW of North America, the Official Mobility Partner of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), today announced the official unveil of its new racing wheelchair designed for the U.S. Paralympics Track and Field Team. BMW designers are working in close collaboration with Team USA athletes and coaches to design and develop the racing wheelchair which is set to make its competitive debut at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Developed by world-class designers and engineers, the new racing wheelchair draws upon the aesthetics and engineering of the automaker’s signature vehicle design. Encompassing BMW’s core competencies and fundamentals, the wheelchair features modernized aerodynamic efficiencies, carbon fiber material, a complete chassis redesign and a personalized approach for customized athlete fit.

“Working on this project has been a truly rewarding experience for my team and we’re proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish in the last year and half with these athletes and their coaches,” said Brad Cracchiola, Associate Director, BMW Group DesignWorks. “From fittings and immersion sessions, to data analysis and real-time testing, we had the unique opportunity to build a fully customized racing device. We’re eager to complete the final product and look forward to watching Team USA compete.”

“Our partnership with Team USA over the last six years has been a remarkable journey, but the most rewarding part of it all has been the direct collaboration with our athletes,” said Trudy Hardy, Vice President, Marketing, BMW of North America. “Their dedication to their sport and their fans is unprecedented, and as a company dedicated to performance and mobility, this has been a project that felt right at home for us and we’re honored to be part of it.”

With the help of Team USA athletes, BMW will work over the next few months to continue to adjust and improve the wheelchair in the lead up to the Games. The final fleet of wheelchairs for use in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games is slated to be delivered to the U.S. Paralympics track and field racers in the summer of 2016.

BMW has been implementing its resources to advance the training and performance goals of Team USA since signing on as a sponsor in 2010. The BMW racing wheelchair is the company’s fourth technology transfer project, following the delivery of a two-man bobsled which helped Team USA overcome a 62-year medal drought at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. To learn more about BMW’s partnership with the USOC and National Governing Bodies USA Bobsled & Skeleton, USA Swimming, USA Track & Field, USA Golf and U.S. Paralympics Track and Field visit www.bmwusanews.com.

500hp wheel car. 500 ft lb of torque. 0-100km/h in 1 second

[Fanta]

[lindgrenvalenti]

W O W .....that's AWESOME !!!

[LI2002tii]

Very cool engineering!

[RENT-A-GOAT]

Good to see engineering collaborations such as this. Projects like this prove invaluable for companies such as BMW to test their manufacturing process to the limit (don't know if any of you have knowledge or have seen first hand how much abuse these specialist chairs get) in non usual market constraints which all aids in furthering their knowledge and understanding which can only be good for all in the long run plus the Paralympics and its paralympians are frikking incredible.

[clbmw]

Awesome engineering!

Let's hope they don't try that FWD crap on the next generation

[raysspl]

Engineering at its finest. Well done