Olympic athletes to benefit from F1 technology

British sports men and women set to contest the London 2012 Olympic Games are now able to take advantage of Formula One-based technology in order to aid their training; the government's UK Sport has signed a deal with McLaren Applied Technologies to be provided with revolutionary electronic equipment.

The latest systems, which helped carry Lewis Hamilton to the F1 world crown last year, are developed by the McLaren sub company in Woking and will provide competitors with instrumentation, telemetry, modelling and simulation for sports such as canoeing, cycling, rowing and sailing.

"We can all learn a tremendous amount from McLaren Applied Technologies," UK Sport's Head of Research & Innovation, Scott Drawer, told Inside The Games. "Their experience and knowledge of advanced instrumentation, telemetry and simulators is second to none and we're really excited about the future potential of this partnership.

"What's most exciting is that we're not only improving our chances of medal success now but simultaneously establishing a state-of-the-art technical coaching system for many future generations of young athletes and that's got to be good news for British sport."

With three years remaining until the games begin in the British capital, McLaren is proud to be in association with the scheme. "McLaren has been pioneering the use of electronic telemetry in Formula One since the 1980s and we have also developed the technology across a wide array of practical applications away from the race track," said Dr Caroline Hargrove, Project Manager for McLaren Applied Technologies.

"Obviously, using telemetry to improve sporting performance is a natural fit for McLaren, but, as a British company, it's absolutely fantastic to be able to use our skills and expertise to help a future generation of athletes to achieve their very best."

Source: GP Update