N.Z. bobsledders show good form

Press, 20 February 1988, Page 31

N.Z. bobsledders show good form

TIM DUNBAR

in Calgary |

New Zealand’s Lex Peterson and Peter Henry made their final training runs for the two-man bobsleigh event count with two placings in the top 20 at Canada Olympic Park yesterday. Peterson piloted the New Zealand sled expertly to sixteenth position in the first run and twentieth in the second run. There were 41 crews in the field. The New Zealand time of 58.94 s for the first run represented an average speed of 90km/h down the 1475 m track and was only o.BBs behind the fastest sled, Austria 11.

Peterson, formerly of Christchurch, owns a contracting business in Calgary. He said such placings were always “within the range of possibilities” for the Kiwis.

“It may come as a surprise to New Zealanders, but it is not a surprise to us,” he said. “We treated today like a dress rehearsal,” he said. "We wore little tight pants and pushed hard.” Henry was back in his brakeman’s seat in the No. 1 sled after Rhys Dacre had two runs the previous day and there was also a change in the other sled with Bruce Sandford behind his driver, Owen Pinnell.

Sandford (taking back over from Blair Telford) was not over his bout of bronchitis but the New Zealanders performed

creditably with top 30 placings (27 and 29).

“Owen’s been driving bloody well too” said the Olympic bobsleigh team’s attache, Jamie Gilkison.

Peterson said that yesterday’s placings in the last two of 10 official training runs were where he expected to finish in the race over four runs tomorrow and Monday.

He said that the nine countries (each with two sleds) who spent $1 million a year on their bobsleigh teams were favoured to make up the top 18.

“Then there are the Rumanians who have awesome push times and the Swedes who have been around a long time.”

The New Zealand driver said that his sled could finish in “the high teens if we’re a little lucky.” “I’ll be shocked if we are not in the twenties and quite happy if we’re 25 or above,” he said. According to Peterson, the refrigerated track at Canada Olympic Park

compressed the field and there would be little between the first 10 and places 15 to 25. “This has been a really good week for us,” he said. “It’s been the first time with equipment that is reasonably competitive and we’ve had runners to experiment with.” The start position of the New Zealand sled (or sleds) will be very important and Peterson is very keen to be among the first few down the track tomorrow morning (6 a.m. N.Z. time).

“The more powerful countries have been lobbying to have the starting positions seeded” Peterson said. “This was turned down but they will send down 10 pilot bobs before the race to chew the track up a bit.”

Peterson had more than 300 runs down the Canada Olympic Park track last season and said it was in its best condition. “It was like glass the first day of training — just super,” he said.

Earlier in the week, the New Zealand bobsleigh coach, David Broomfield, a Briton, said he wanted to “get the message home that we’re not here for a joy ride.”

Neither would this be a “one-off shot” at the Winter Olympics by New Zealand bobsledders. By the 1992 and 1994 Games, New Zealand would be a definite medal contender, Mr Broomfield said.