an aerodynamic bodysuit to give her the best

streamlined shape. She also had special ridges

on her helmet to make it more aerodynamic,

and there were complaints about that from

the opposition. The complaints were rejected

by the Olympic authorities, who had already

approved Amy’s helmet, but it does show how

seriously you need to take aerodynamics when

split-second times are involved.

To try out Amy’s tips, of course, we needed a

slope with a bit of snow on it. Summer weather

in Britain is usually something that people

have a good moan about, but even the most

pessimistic weatherman wasn’t forecasting

snow in Sheffield in June 2013. To test out our

prototype, we needed to head north – not to the

Arctic, just to Castleford.

Above: With the skis off, a
few minor adjustments are
made to the brakes during
testing.

Below: With a warm brew
in the boot room for a bit of
a chat with Amy.

A STEER FROM AMY WILLIAMS    235