Strongsville, Ohio--On Jan. 6 and 7 in Lake Placid, N.Y., NASCAR drivers took to a different kind of track, one coated with ice. They were piloting bobsleds at the second annual Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge, presented by Whelen Engineering to raise funds for research and development of bobsleds for the U.S. men's and women's bobsled teams.
The modified bobsleds that will be used in the challenge are painted with PPG Vibrance Collection colors.
It all began in 1992, as NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine was watching the bobsled competition during the Winter Olympics and was disappointed by the poor performance of the U.S. team.
When Bodine learned that the sleds were made in Europe, he said he wondered why they weren't made in the United States. He came up with the idea that racecar engineering could be successfully applied to bobsled fabrication.
Bodine, who has been honored as one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers, teamed up with long-time friend Bob Cuneo of Chassis Dynamics Inc. of Oxford, Conn., a racecar design and development firm. Together, they set out to design and build bobsleds "Made in America."
Soon after, Bodine and Cuneo formed the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project Inc., a nonprofit organization that raises funds for the design and manufacturing of the Bo-Dyn bobsleds. Today, the USA is a frequent medal winner on the World Cup circuit, and Bo-Dyn sleds are known as some of the best in the world. The paint, which aids the aerodynamics of the sleds, has been PPG since the beginning.
"Given that bobsled races are timed to the hundredth of a second, something such as aerodynamic paintwork can play a role in the outcome of a competition," said Phil Kurze, president of Bo-Dyn Bobsleds. "Like auto racing, the crews can leave nothing to chance. And with the professionalism and craftsmanship of PPG, our sleds will not only look good, but the paintwork will also help them go fast."
The sleds were sprayed with such Vibrance colors as Midnight Sapphire, Silver Star, Crystal Black, and Cabernet, formulated in Deltron 2000 DBC. Most of the colors are tri-coats, topped off with Vibrance clear and then recleared with PPG's CeramiClear D8126 Mar and Scratch Resistant clear, an extremely hard clear, highly resistant to scratches and abrasions to assure the stunning appearance of the sleds as they are subjected to the tough conditions on a bobsled track.
PPG Territory Manager Dennis Beardsley said he volunteered to supervise the painting of the modified sleds used for the Challenge, with the help of noted motorcycle graphic artist and PPG customer Justin Barnes of JB Custom Painting Inc. of Newburgh, N.Y.
Barnes designed the color schemes and applied the flames and pinstriping, while Beardsley and a group of students from Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y., worked to paint, sand, and clear the sleds at the school's Automotive Technical Center.
