THE
BOB RUN
THE
LEGEND MADE OF ICE
At the Top: the narrow sun terrace of St Moritz, with the Kulm Hotel, Golf Course and the Olympic Stadium. At the bottom: Celerina and the wide valley floor of the Engadine. In between: a pine forest where strange things happen. When it gets cold, people rush through this forest towards Celerina – on a track hardly visible in summer, but which in winter forms the largest ice sculpture in the world.
The Olympic Bob Run is a legend that is cast in ice every winter – 15,000 cubic metres of snow and 7,000 cubic metres of water are needed to build the 1,772 metre long track with its 19 bends. Since 1904, bobsleighs, and later also skeletons, luge and other racers, have raced along the glistening white ice track which although it is constructed anew every year, hardly changes from year to year.
FACTS & FIGURES
Start Altitude — 1 852 m a.s.l.
Finish Altitude — 1 738 m a.s.l.
Lowest Point — 1 722 m a.s.l.
Height Difference — 130 metres
Track length — 1 722 metres
Average Gradient — 8,1 %
Highest Speed — 150 km/h
THE BOB RUN
START
START
Start Olympia Bob Run
Start Altitude: 1852m a.s.l.
Start House – Dracula’s Ghost Riders Club, opened in 1973
Start Altitude: 1852m a.s.l.
Start House – Dracula’s Ghost Riders Club, opened in 1973
Track Profile
Length: 1722m
Height Difference: 130m
Number of curves: 19
Significance
Oldest Bobsleigh track in the world still in use (1904)
Only natural ice run in the world (ie, without refrigeration)
Der first Push
“One, two, three….. go, go, go!” Push hard and fast for 15 metres to the starting line, because then the clock is running. Jump in within another 50 metres – and hope. Because anyone who loses a few hundredths, or even just a thousandth of a second at the start and in the run-up zone, will almost certainly lose more time over the 1772 m course of the Olympic Bob Run St. Moritz-Celerina.
Anyone who starts here in the two or four man bobsleigh knows: this track is living history! It is the oldest bobsleigh run in the world (1904), and at the same time, the only bobsleigh run in the world built from natural ice! Follow this unique route to the finish in Celerina bearing in mind the significance of these two facts – and experience the rush of speed and the fascination of the sport and its history!
WALL CORNER
WALL
CORNER
Name
Wall, so named as it is the boundary of the slope
Wall, so named as it is the boundary of the slope
Position
230m after the Start
18m lower than the starting altitude
Significance
The first major corner
The first corner
Please don’t touch it! The bobsleigh has been set in motion at the Start of the Olympic Bob Run with brute physical strength. Now, a sensitive hand is required: anyone touching the icy walls of the Olympic Bob run will lose time. The pilot must keep the heavy bobsleigh in the centre of the track on the approach to Wall Corner. Not an easy task: a two man bob with crew can weigh up to 390 kilograms; a four man bob with crew up to 630 kilograms.
Just before Wall Corner, the first major corner of the Olympic Bob Run, you can see if it was a good start. The first intermediate time is measured here – as the timer has been set at the start and the time has been measured from the 50 m mark. From here, the bobsleighs get faster and faster reaching speeds of up to 150 km/h. On the Swiss highways, this speed would result in a loss of licence!
SUNNY CORNER
SUNNY
CORNER
Name
Sunny, so named because of its sunny location.
Sunny, so named because of its sunny location.
Buildings
“Sunny Haus“, built in 1929, previously a meeting place, now a track worker’s building
Significance
The first major attraction after the Start
In the best light
The pressure builds – after a steep start, the Olympic Bob Run then has a slight gradient, but only until it reaches a snake shaped double curve, the Snake Corner. Then it descends 10 metres over a distance of just 65 metres – and at the same time enters the semi-circle turn of Sunny Corner. The gravitational pressure, which can increase to up to 5 times the normal gravitational force during the course of the Bob Run, can really be felt here for the first time.
The Difficulty: The challenge is to drive through Sunny Corner using the shortest route at the highest possible speed. It is also important on exit from the turn to find the most direct route into the following short straight before the Nash-Dixon Corner. So the Sunny Corner is a demanding turn – at the same time, it has the best light. After all, the Sunny Corner is the sunniest section of the track.
NASH-DIXON CORNER
NASH-DIXON
CORNER
Name
Named in honour of Antony Nash and Robin Dixon
Named in honour of Antony Nash and Robin Dixon
Position
600 m after the Start
47 m lower than the start altitude
Significance
First curve after Monti’s Bolt (the Junior’s Start)
The curve of the world champions
They formed one of the most successful bobsleigh teams of the 1960’s – Antony (Tony) Nash and Robin Dixon. Their two man bobsleigh was to be seen on all the major tracks in the world – and naturally on the Olympic Bob Run from St Moritz to Celerina. It was here that the two Brits, members of the Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club, won their first world title in 1965.
So it is clear for every team: the Nash- Dixon Corner should be driven as it would be by world champions. In this way, more speed can be built up on the following straight to the Horse Shoe. The Nash-Dixon Corner is also the first challenge after starting for juniors. They start from Monti’s Bolt and join the legendary race track just before the corner. The Junior’s Start is named after the two-time Olympic Champion Eugenio Monti, who was World Champion in the two-man bobsleigh in St Moritz in 1957 and 1959.
HORSE SHOE
HORSE SHOE
Name
The shape of the curve is similar to a horse shoe.
The shape of the curve is similar to a horse shoe.
Position
821 m after the Start
62 m lower than the start altitude
Significance
A spectacular curve that almost has the shape of a sem-circle
A horseshoe in the snow
Everything is getting faster and faster. This impression is not deceptive – at least not in the case of the Olympic Bob Run. This is clearly shown by the race times – and is visible in the Horse Shoe. The legendary curve is higher today, and is wider than in the past. The reason: The speed and cornering pressure have increased, as has the danger of a “departure” over the edge of the curve.
In the winter of 1955/56, the horse shoe shaped construction of water and ice was reinforced with natural stone, and at the same time the radius of the curve was increased. For the following winter, a 4.5 metre quarry-stone wall was erected, to which was added a 1.75 metre high wooden wall. In 1995, the curve was again adjusted for increased speed by increasing the radius again and placing safty barrier on top of the curve. But the Horse Shoe is still a round shape, or rather a spectacular semi-circle, reminiscent of an arena.
TELEPHONE CORNER
TELEPHONE
CORNER
Name
Named after the first telephone installation on the course.
Named after the first telephone installation on the course.
Position
851 m after the Start
66 m lower than the start altitude
Significance
A crucial point of the section from the Horse Shoe to Devil Dyke’s Corner
The big rumble
The first big – or tight – turns, the Sunny Corner and the Horse Shoe, have been mastered. But the athletes are far from being able to breathe a sigh of relief as they approach the Telephone Corner. Quite the opposite. This was once confirmed by the comment of the legendary Swiss bobsleigh pilot Franz Kapus: “I can close my eyes and hear the sound of the runners to know if the bobsleigh is being driven well. If there is a rumble at Telephone Corner, then hops and malt will be lost in Shamrock as well.”
Time and again a loud rumble is heard in Telephone Corner. In 1995, the passionate bobsledder Prince Albert of Monaco crashed here. And there have been accidents here since the early days of the Bob Run. That is why a telephone was installed at the corner, to be able to report delays caused by accidents to the Start.
NAMELESS CORNER
NAMELESS
CORNER
Name
The only corner not named after a person or characteristic of the course.
The only corner not named after a person or characteristic of the course.
Position
1 015 m after the Start
82 m lower than the start altitude
Significance
Preparation for Tree Corner and Bridge Corner
A tricky passage
Devils Dyke? Sounds dangerous. Let’s ask Fritz Lüdi what this Devil’s Dyke curve is all about. After all, Fritz Lüdi has won the Bronze (1974), and Silver (1977), in the two-man bobsleigh events at World Championships in St. Moritz. Describing the section of the course up to Devil’s Dyke Corner he said “Definitely the most difficult. The bobsleigh doesn’t always respond to what the pilot gives in terms of impulses on the ropes.”
As a result, the bobsleigh can be unstable as it enters Nameless Corner from Devil’s Dyke Corner. And yet the Nameless Corner should ideally be used as preparation for the next difficult passage with the Tree Corner and Bridge Corner.
BRIDGE CORNER
BRIDGE
CORNER
Name
Named after the now visible railway bridge
Named after the now visible railway bridge
Position
1 215 m after the Start
97 m lower than the start altitude
Significance
The last big turn before the steep section after the “Leap”
First the tree, then the bridge
To see what comes next is not always easy on the winding ice track of St. Moritz. Bobsleigh pilots have always looked forward to the Tree Corner…. from here you could see a prominent tree which marked the next bend, the Bridge Corner. The Bridge Corner itself sometimes gave a bit of a “punch” – in 1974, the newspaper “Der Bund” wrote “The rapid transition from the horizontal position of the bobsleigh to the vertical occurs so quickly that it usually delivers a powerful blow to the people at the back of the bob.”
The newspaper also described what was coming next: After the Leap, the track drops more than 20 metres in the next 100 metres. The existing high speed increases even more. Faster, and faster!
FINISH
FINISH
Finish Olympia Bob Run
1738 m a.s.l, followed by a braking zone to 1758 m a.s.l.
1738 m a.s.l, followed by a braking zone to 1758 m a.s.l.
Course Profile
Length: 1 722 m
Height Difference: 130 m
Number of bends: 19
Significance
The oldest bobsleigh track in the world still in use (1904)
The only natural ice track in the world (ie. without refrigeration)
The impression is deceptive
Out of the forest, the God da Ruinatsch, into the vastness before Celerina: the final section of the Olympic Bob Run appears almost gentle when viewed from Celerina. At the point called the “Leap“, the Finish seems to be within reach. Except, from the Leap, the course goes steeply downhill and then even ascends. From the Leap to the Gunter Sachs Corner, the track drops a good 20 metres over a distance of just 50 metres. And after Martineau Corner, the course goes further uphill through Portago Corner – to a Finish only a few metres lower than the Leap!
The final part of the Bob Run is therefore an uphill and a downhill run, or rather a downhill and uphill run. And if the highest speeds of the course are reached on Martineau Corner, it will soon become clear who will be climbing to a podium position.
THE BOB RUN IN 3D
SUPERLATIVE
— oldest natural ice track in the world still in use (built in 1904)
— the only natural ice rink in the world (without artificial refrigeration)
— the venue of the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics
— Used for more than twenty bobsleigh world championships
TRACK CONSTRUCTION
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS
The Engadiner Post reported in February 1903: “The question of the creation of a special bobsleigh run seems close to being resolved.” The company “Mr Badrutt & Co” has offered to advance more than half of the 12,000 Franc construction cost; the Bobsleigh Club is to raise 5,000 Francs itself, and then gradually pay off the loan. The “Mr Badrutt & Co” referred to is in essence, the Badrutt family from the Kulm Hotel. A good part of the planned bobsleigh track runs over their land.
The “Bobbers“ already know how to build curves and ice them – a good three years earlier they had built, watered and iced three curves on the cantonal road. The Community of St. Moritz was “not amused”. Now, in 1903, they are building the world’s first non-road bob run. And even today, hands and shovels are still used every year.
- The construction work begins here at Sunny Corner at the end of November. The workers, experienced track builders from South Tyrol, work their way forward in the direction of travel.. After a good 350 metres, they create the shell of the legendary Horse Shoe, after a kilometre they build the extensive Martineau Corner, (the lowest point of the track), and then work their way up from there to the Portago Corner, the Finish at 1738 metres, and the outlet up to the ramp, the end point of the track (1785metres).
- Once the Finish has been reached, it’s off to the Start. Now the ice canal is built to Sunny Corner.
- Then the construction team splits up, with each employee responsible for the finishing touches on a specific section of the track.
- Once the Bob Run has been completed and opened, the track builders maintain their section of the track each afternoon. This maintenance work can easily last four hours daily.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BOBSLEIGH
01: The Mathis-Bobsleigh
The Mathis-Bobsleigh
The bobsleigh consists of two low sleds made of British steel, with the front sled being used for steering – by means of ropes. Usually five people sit upright on cushions on the Mathis bobsleigh.
02: The Roessinger- / Bachmann-Bobsleigh
The Roessinger- / Bachmann-Bobsleigh
A number of variations develop from the Mathis Bob. August Hartkopf’s bobsleigh factory in Davos became well-known – he built 17 four-man and 17 two-man bobsleighs for the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz. However, the bobsleigh by the Neuchâtel engineer Adolphe Louis Roessinger represented the first design revolution as early as 1903: Instead of ropes, the bobsleigh was now steered using a steering wheel. The Bachmann brothers in Neuchâtel subsequently acquired the patent.
03: The Feierabend-Bobsleigh
The Feierabend-Bobsleigh
Fritz Feierabend won quite a few medals and titles in Bobsleigh, for example, at the World Championships in St. Moritz in 1947 – here he won Gold in the two-man and the four-man bobsleigh. The Engelberger also made a name for himself as a bobsleigh builder. Together with his father Carl, he developed the first all-metal bob in the late 1920s.
04: The Podar-Bobsleigh
The Podar-Bobsleigh
Franz Kapus achieved the last victory in a four-place Feierabend bobsleigh in 1956 at the Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo. And that’s exactly where the new Podar bobsleighs with a rear ball bearing axle and a steering cover were born in the 1950s. They herald the modern age of bobsleigh – and were further improved in Cortina around 1960: when Sergio Siorpaes invented the movable front rail.
HIGH-TECH SLEDS
01: The Monobob
The Monobob
One athlete who starts, steers and brakes the bobsleigh after the Finish.
Length: 280 cm,
Minimum weight without athlete: 163 kg,
Maximum weight with athlete:
Women: 248 kg, Men: 260 kg
02: The two person bobsleigh
The two person bobsleigh
Two athletes, the Pilot who steers the bobsleigh, and the “pusher” who is responsible for acceleration at the Start and braking after the Finish.
Length: 320 cm,
Minimum weight without the crew: 170 kg,
Maximum weight with crew:
Women: 330 kg, Men: 390 kg
03: The four person bobsleigh
The four person bobsleigh
Four athletes; the Pilot and three “pushers”. The rear “pusher“ is also responsible for breaking the bobsleigh after the Finish.
Length: 380 cm,
Minimum weight without crew: 210 kg,
Maximum weight with crew: 630 kg
04: Para Sport
Der Para Sport
Identical Monobobs are pushed at the Start by means of a special mechanical device.
Length: 280 cm,
Maximum weight (without bobsleigh) of athlete with additional athlete ballast: 100 kg
HALL OF FAME
RETO CAPADRUTT
RETO
CAPADRUTT
Reto Capadrutt
* 04.03.1912
† 03.02.1939
* 04.03.1912
† 03.02.1939
Nation
Switzerland
Major Successes
Winter Olympic Games 1932: Silver in Two-man Bobsleigh
Winter Olympic Games 1936: Silver in Four-man Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh World Championships 1935: Gold in Two-man Bobsleigh
“He is one of the most likeable of all the foreign competitors, the Swiss student and 1935 World Champion in two-man bobsleigh: Reto Capadrutt.” These are the words used to describe him by a German tabloid in 1936. And indeed, anyone who did not know Reto Capadrutt would hardly have credited the student with two Olympic Silver medals and a World Championship title. Reto Capadrutt was slim, rather small – and above all, modest.
Reto Capadrutt knew the Olympic Bob Run – and the neighboring Cresta Run – very well. But he still had an accident here in 1939: While his brakeman survived the fall almost unharmed, Reto Capadrutt was caught under his bobsleigh and was killed.
RAIMUND BETHGE
RAIMUND
BETHGE
Raimund Bethge
* 07.07.1947
* 07.07.1947
Nation
Germany
Major Successes – as a Bobsleigh Pilot
Bobsleigh World Championship 1977: Gold in Four-man Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh World Champuionship 1978: Silver in Two-man Bob; Bronze in Four-man Bobsleigh
Major Successes – as Head Trainer
A total of 102 medals won for Germany at the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
He initially became involved in bobsledding as a pusher and won Gold in a four-man bobsleigh event in St. Moritz in 1977. However, Raimund Bethge not only gave a boost to the heavyweight crews in the ice canal, but to the sport of bobsleigh as a whole. As head coach, he led the German Skeleton and Bobsleigh teams to more than 100 medals at World Championships and Olympic Games.
A unique record. All the more so because Raimund Bethge achieved this feat against the backdrop of German reunification: The head coach first had to form a new German identity out of the East and West German teams and the different personalities within. He succeeded thanks to his modest, yet success-oriented manner. Even serious accidents like the one in Cesana, where a bobsleigh hit him in 2005, could not change his approach.
JEAN WICKI
JEAN
WICKI
Jean Wicki
* 18.06.1933
† 11.06.2023
* 18.06.1933
† 11.06.2023
Nation
Switzerland
Major Successes
Winter Olympic Games 1972: Gold in Four-man Bob, Bronze in Two-man Bob
Winter Olympic Games 1968: Bronze in Four-man Bob
European Champion x 2, Swiss Champion x 8
Ambition and passion: these two characteristics run through Jean Wicki’s life – and led him to success in sport and in his career. Born in Valais in 1933, Jean Wicki joined the French Formula 1 racing team Gordini at the age of twenty and became a test driver. The joy of speed soon led him to bobsledding. His championship titles and medals at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble (1968) and Sapporo (1972) made him a Swiss legend in bobsleigh.
Professionally, his life path led him from piloting simple soapboxes to managing two large garages and a real estate business.
EDY HUBACHER
EDY
HUBACHER
Edy Hubacher
* 15.04.1940
* 15.04.1940
Nation
Switzerland
Major Successes in Bobsleigh
Winter Olympic Games 1972: Gold in Four-man Bobsleigh, Bronze in Two-man Bobsleigh
Born in Bern in 1940, Edy Hubacher is known as a shot-putter, discus thrower and “the nation’s enigma”. As a shot-putter, he bettered the Swiss record 15 times in a row, and as a discus thrower he did so five times. As a crossword designer, Edy Hubacher, a teacher and track and field athlete with 16 championship titles to his name, created numerous crossword puzzles for various magazines.
And as a bobsledder ….he also excelled. As a member of Jean Wicki’s four-man bobsleigh team, together with Hans Leutenegger and Werner Camichel, he won an Olympic Gold medal in Sapporo in 1972. He came to bobsledding rather by chance: he had observed bobsleighers’ pushing exercises at the sports school in Magglingen, tried it himself under the watchful eye of Jean Wicki – and achieved a best time at his first attempt.
HANS LEUTENEGGER
HANS
LEUTENEGGER
Hans Leutenegger
* 16.01.1940
* 16.01.1940
Nation
Switzerland
Major Success
Winter Olympic Games 1972: Gold in Four-man Bobsleigh
From farmer’s son to metalworker, bobsledder, actor and entrepreneur: Hans “Hausi” Leutenegger was and is active in many fields – and he likes to do it fast. Born in 1940 in rural Thurgau, Hans Leutenegger first became a metalworker – and soon founded a specialist recruitment company. Today, a good 1,000 employees work for the Hans Leutenegger Group. He came to bobsledding as a national gymnast and won Olympic Gold in the four-man bobsleigh in 1972 in Sapporo together with Jean Wicki, Werner Camichel and Edy Hubacher.
Hans Leutenegger also became known as the “Burt Reynolds” of the Alps. The versatile man can be seen as an actor, amongst others, in the action film “Kommando Leopard” (1985), alongside Lewis Collins and Klaus Kinski.
WERNER CAMICHEL
WERNER
CAMICHEL
Werner Camichel
* 26.01.1945
† 27.03.2006
* 26.01.1945
† 27.03.2006
Nation
Switzerland
Major Successes
Winter Olympic Games 1972: Gold in Four-man Bobsleigh
World Championships 1973 & 1975: Gold in Four-man Bobsleigh
“Sport is my life,” said Werner Camichel. The sporting highlight of this life was in 1972 in Sapporo: Werner Camichel won Olympic Gold in the four-man bobsleigh “Switzerland I” with Jean Wicki, Hans Leutenegger and Edy Hubacher. In 1973 and 1975, the qualified electrician and passionate decathlete, skier and ice hockey player became World Champion in Erich Schärer’s four-man bobsleigh.
Werner Camichel was not only a passionate bobsledder, he also promoted the sport – amongst his other duties, he was the longstanding, esteemed and innovative Operations Manager of the Olympic Bob Run. He knew the track very well, having won several medals here at Swiss Championships.
ANTHONY NASH
ANTHONY
NASH
Anthony Nash
* 18.03.1936
† 17.03.2022
* 18.03.1936
† 17.03.2022
Nation
Great Britain
Major Successes
Winter Olympic Games 1964: Gold in Two-man Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh World Championships 1963 & 1966: Bronze in Two-man Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh World Championships 1965: Gold in Two-man Bobsleigh
What is behind sporting success? In bobsledding, it certainly requires strength, skill, and team spirit. And sometimes subtle gestures are also decisive, as was the case with Anthony Nash and Robin Dixon’s Olympic victory in Innsbruck in 1964. Of all people, their fiercest competitor, the Italian Eugenio Monti, was there to offer them a replacement for a broken bolt.
The result: The team Nash/Dixon won Olympic Gold. Eugenio Monti and his brakeman Sergio Siorpaes finished third. That said, Nash/Dixon were also very successful without the help of the competition. For instance here in St. Moritz, where the team won the 1965 World Championship.
ROBIN DIXON
ROBIN
DIXON
Robin Dixon
* 21.04.1935
* 21.04.1935
Nation
Great Britain
Major Successes
Winter Olympic Games 1964: Gold in Two-man Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh World Championships 1963 & 1966: Bronze in Two-man Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh World Championships 1965: Gold in Two-man Bobsleigh
The highest point in Great Britain is lower than the length of the Olympic Bob Run: the bobsleigh track measures 1,722 metres, the mountain Ben Navis is 1,345 metres high. Great Britain probably does not offer the best conditions for bobsledding. But the British teams are still successful. And that is thanks to personalities like Robin Dixon, a Baron, former Professional Officer, and brakeman.
Together with Anthony “Tony” Nash, Robin Dixon won numerous races and the team was one of the most successful bobsleigh teams of the 1960s. Less known may be the full name of Robin Dixon: Thomas Robin Valerian Dixon, 3rd Baron of Glentoran.
ERICH SCHÄRER
ERICH
SCHÄRER
Erich Schärer
* 01.09.1946
* 01.09.1946
Nation
Switzerland
Grosse Erfolge
Winter Olympic Games 1980: Gold in Two-man Bobsleigh
Winter Olympic Games 1976 & 1980: Silver in Four-man Bobsleigh
Winter Olympic Games 1976: Bronze in Two-man Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh World Championships l978, 1979, 1982: Gold in Two-man Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh World Championships 1971, 1973, 1975 & 1986: Gold in Four-man Bobsleigh
A policeman stopped Erich Schärer on the street, and seeing that he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, said: “So Mr Schärer, you don’t wear a seatbelt in a bobsleigh either, do you!” There are plenty of anecdotes like this about bobsleigh legend Erich Schärer. The most successful Swiss bobsledder of all time did not always get away with it: he was fined in St. Moritz, for example, for violating the advertising ban; he had stuck three stripes on his bobsleigh that was similar to the logo of a sporting goods brand. His comment that he had become World Champion three times was not convincing!
He did, however, become World Champion again on a number of occasions, for a total of seven titles. And the man from Zurich has no shortage of medals: Erich Schärer stood on the podium 14 times at World Championships, and was European Champion three times.
HUBERT MARTINEAU
HUBERT
MARTINEAU
Hubert Martineau
* 24.10.1891
† 11.09.1976
* 24.10.1891
† 11.09.1976
Nation
Great Britain
Major Successes
President of the Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club from 1923 until 1969
Hubert Martineau witnessed both Winter Olympics in St. Moritz in a very special way: In 1928, he saw the teams of William Fiske (USA II) and Jennison Heaton (USA I) race to Gold and Silver, and his stepson Henry Martineau finish 9th in the GBR I bobsleigh team. In 1948, Hubert Martineau also very carefully watched the women’s figure skating: he acted as a competition judge at these Winter Olympics.
At the same time, Hubert Martineau himself was a sportsman through and through. The Briton loved cricket, horse racing – and bobsledding. He promoted the latter right here in St. Moritz: Hubert Martineau was president of the Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club for 46 years.
GUNTER SACHS
GUNTER
SACHS
Gunter Sachs
* 14.11.1932
† 07.05.2011
* 14.11.1932
† 07.05.2011
Nation
Germany
Major Successes
Junior European Championships 1959: Gold in Two-man Bobsleigh
President of the Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club from 1969 until 2011
Brigitte Bardot, Andy Warhol, Nino Bibbia: Gunter Sachs knew them all. He married the French actress, promoted the American artist, and brought the St. Moritz winter sportsman to the screen – or rather to his sports documentary “Happening in White”. Gunter Sachs became known as a playboy and bon vivant. In St. Moritz, for example, he is said to have once hurtled down the Bob Run in a coffin.
What is often forgotten is that Gunter Sachs was also extremely reliable and generous. He promoted bobsledding in St. Moritz as a patron and was President of the Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club for 42 years.
Timeline
Bob run St. Moritz
How did the sport of Bobsledding and the Olympic Bob Run develop in St. Moritz? The timeline shows important events.
1889
Christian Mathis, a St. Moritz blacksmith, constructs the first multi-seat bobsleigh from two low sleds, so-called “Americas”. Until 1903, bobsleighs are primarily used on the snow-covered cantonal road from St. Moritz to Celerina.
1895
Christian Mathis, a St. Moritz blacksmith, constructs the first multi-seat bobsleigh from two low sleds, so-called “Americas”. Until 1903, bobsleighs are primarily used on the snow-covered cantonal road from St. Moritz to Celerina.
1897
The “Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club” is founded; today it is considered the oldest bobsleigh club in the world. The first regulations state that at least two of the five board members must be ladies.
1898
January
“Alligator” wins, “Australia” and “Atlanta” both crash: this is the brief summary of the first bobsleigh race on the Cresta road, today’s cantonal road between St. Moritz and Celerina.
“Mildred” wins what is probably the first women’s bobsleigh race on the Cresta road. “Mildred” is piloted by a Madame Little.
March
The clock is ticking – and it’s at the Start. When a bobsleigh crosses the Finish line, the Start is informed by telephone. There is a telephone at the Start and one at the Finish – both in the cabins.
The first successful season of the Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club ends on March 12.
1900/01
This winter, 13 bobsleigh races are held on the cantonal road from St. Moritz to Celerina. In view of this development – and against the background of collisions of bobsleighs with passers-by and horse carrages – the newspaper “Alpine Post” asks: “When will we finally have a track exclusively for bobsleighs?”
1903/04
Bobsleighs are further developed: Adolphe Louis Roessinger invents a bobsleigh constructed of ash wood and equipped with a steering wheel. Independently of each other, August Hartkopf and Carl Feierabend built bobsleighs made of iron and with rope steering.
1904
The Bob Run in St. Moritz is opened. The track no longer runs on the cantonal road. Today, the Bob Run is considered the oldest natural ice track still in use in the world.
1912
The track is ridden “ventre à terre”, i.e. lying down. The advantage: less air resistance. The disadvantage: braking is almost impossible. The driving style is banned in 1931 following lengthy discussions about its dangers.
1915-18
Due to the First World War, the bobsleigh track is not built.
1920
How can the heavy bobsleighs be brought back from the Finish to the Start? First attempts with trucks fail; as the engines are too weak, transport by horses is less time-consuming.
1923
Hubert Martineau becomes president of the “Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club”.
1927
Saint Moritz Boblseigh Club organizes the first European Championship (5-man bobsleigh, the driving style is “ventre à terre”).
1928
21 teams participate in the bobsleigh races of the Winter Olympic Games in St. Moritz, 20 teams ride in the style “ventre à terre”.
1929
The “Sunny Haus” is built. It becomes a popular meeting place with a bar, although later it serves mainly as a lounge and catering room for the track crew.
1930
The Start is now graced by a new Start House. A quarry stone wall is built at Sunny Corner.
1931
The “Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club” organizes the second World Championships in 4-man bobsleigh. Women are not eligible. The town of St. Moritz submits a request to change this.
The compulsory wearing of helmets is introduced internationally in the sport of Bobsleigh. The “Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club” buys 100 helmets for 20 Francs each. The daily rent for a helmet is two Francs.
1931
At the 1931 Four-man Bobsleigh World Championships in St. Moritz, Germany I, with Werner Zahn, Robert Schmidt, Franz Bock and Emil Hinterfeld, wins Gold.
1932/33
Trucks are now used to transport bobsleighs from the Finish to the Start. This almost halves the cost of transport.
1932
Carl Feierabend debuts his new bobsleigh design. He wins most of the 2-man bobsleigh races.
1934
The first night race takes place on the Bob Run. Floodlights are installed at the Start as well as at Sunny Corner, the Horse Shoe and the Finish. Torches are set up in the intermediate sections.
1935
With a great ride, Switzerland I (Reto Capadrutt, Fritz Feierabend, A. Lardi and H. Tami) takes third place on the podium at the 1935 Bobsleigh World Championships in St. Moritz.
1937/38
An electric loudspeaker is installed at the Finish for the first time. Loudspeakers are now present at the Start, Sunny Corner, Horse Shoe and the Finish.
1937
The four-man Bobsleigh World Champions from St. Moritz 1937 are Frederic J. McEvoy, D. S. Looker, Charles Green and C. Mackintosh.
1938
On the way to the Bronze medal: Fritz Feierabend and Josef Beerli from Engelberg at the two-man Bobsleigh World Championship in St. Moritz 1938.
1938
St. Moritz hosts the first official World Championship in 2-man Bobsleigh.
1939-45
Due to the Second World War, the bobsleigh track is not built.
1947
Switzerland wins Gold in the two-man and four-man event at the 1947 Bobsleigh World Championships.
1947
See how the Wall Corner was mastered in 1947.
1948
How did one experience a bobsleigh run in the Olympic Bob Run in 1948? This is shown in a historical video.
1948
At the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland wins Gold in the two-man bobsleigh with Felix Endrich and Fritz Waller. Swiss bobsleigh designer Fritz Feierabend wins Silver in the two-man bobsleigh with Paul Eberhard. The bobsleigh is a new design with aerodynamic bodywork and individually suspended runners on the rear axle.
1948
St. Moritz is the venue of the V. Olympic Winter Games. Because of the Second World War, there were no Winter Games for twelve years.
1954
Hollywood in St. Moritz: This is how they filmed the Bob Run in 1954.
1955
At the 1955 World Championships, Franz Kapus and Heinrich Angst narrowly miss out on the Silver medal in the two-man bobsleigh.
1955
Fritz Feierabend, Abi Gartmann, Harry Warburton and Rolf Gerber (from right) win Silver at the 1955 World Championships in St. Moritz.
1956
The Horse Shoe is reinforced with a quarry stone wall.
1957
On February 10, 1957, Hans Zoller, Hans Theler, Robert Küderli and Heinz Leu become World Champions in four-man bobsleigh (Switzerland 1). It is the last Swiss World Championship title until 1971 (René Stadler, four-man bobsleigh), and then until 1977 (Erich Schärer, two-man bobsleigh).
1957
At the 1957 World Bobsleigh Championships, the American four-man team finishes third on the podium – and in the straw.
1958
Hans Zoller and his team trained. Is it enough for the victory at the Swiss Championships in St. Moritz?
1959
Once again, St. Moritz is in the sporting spotlight as the venue for the 1959 Bobsleigh World Championships.
1959
See how a new track record is set at the 1959 World Championships.
1963
Zoller and Zimmermann from Basel deservedly become Swiss champions in the two-man bobsleigh. At the Swiss Championships, the four-man bobsleigh races are abandoned because the track is too fast. Around 1963, the track is adapted several times, especially in the area of the Finish.
1965
Canada wins: Olympic champion Victor Emery’s four-man bobsleigh with Gerald Presley, Michael Young and Peter Kirby takes Gold at the 10th World Championships in St. Moritz in 1965. The British duo Anthony Nash and Robin Dixon win the two-man bobsleigh.
1966
Anthony Nash and Robin Dixon set a new track record in 1966.
1969
After more than 40 years as President of the Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club, Hubert Martineau is replaced by Gunter Sachs.
1970
In the early 1970s, the first advertisements appear on bobsleighs. Pictured: Hans Candrian and Gion Caviezel, the Bronze medalists at the 1970 Bobsleigh World Championships in St. Moritz.
1970
The defending champions Germany were caught up by the well-rehearsed Italian team in the fourth run. World championship title for Italy, second place for Germany and bronze for Switzerland.
1972
A surprise: Hansruedi Müller’s four-man bobsleigh “Switzerland III” unexpectedly wins the 1972 European Championships.
1974
World Champions in two-man bobsleigh: The two Germans Wolfgang Zimmerer and Peter Utzschneider at the 1974 World Championships in St. Moritz.
1977
The Award ceremony of the 1977 Four-man Bobsleigh World Championships in St. Moritz: on the left the team BRD II with Jakob Resch (top right), Herbert Berg, Fritz Ohlwärter and Walter Barfuss; in the middle the winning team DDR I with Meinhard Nehmer (top right), Hans-Jürgen Gerhard, Bernhard Germeshausen and Raimund Bethge; on the right the Swiss Erich Schärer, Ruedi Marti, Sepp Benz and Ueli Bächli (clockwise).
1980
The St. Moritz Tourism Associations assume responsibility from Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club for the construction and maintenance of the Olympic Bob Run. This is followed by the establishment of an operating committee.
1982
Erich Schärer and Max Rüegg race to the gold medal at the 1982 Bobsleigh World Championships in St. Moritz.
1987
The start of Hans Hiltebrand, Urs Fehlmann, Erwin Fassbind and Andre Kiser (Switzerland II) on their way to World Championship victory in St. Moritz in 1987.
1987
As the dressing room capacity at the start is insufficient (more than 20 teams per race), the management decides to acquire the curling chalet from Samedan and to place it at the Start as an additional dressing room. The transport of the chalet in one piece becomes a spectacle.
1990
The three-time shot put World Champion Werner Günthör tried his hand at bobsledding as a pusher. However, the athlete suffered from back problems, and a second sporting career – including at the 1990 World Championships in St. Moritz – does not come to fruition.
1991
The dressing room is moved from the Start to the Finish, and the first Finish House of the Olympic Bob Run is built. The reason for the relocation is the long waiting times of the athletes (in new, lightweight race suits) for the transport of team members and bobsleighs back to the Start.
1991
Inspired by the shooting of the Willy Bogner movie “Fire & Ice”, the first Bob Run skating race was held in 1991. Almost 150 ice hockey players in full ice hockey gear hurtled down the Olympic Bob Run St. Moritz – Celerina at speeds of up to 80 km/h, and provided a thrilling spectacle for racers and spectators alike.
1993
The Sunny Haus, where the track workers have been eating for decades, is expanded … And the Sunny Club was founded.
1997
At the 17th Bobsleigh World Championships held in St. Moritz, Switzerland 1 with Reto Götschi, Guido Acklin, Daniel Giger and Beat Seitz achieves the fastest times. However, all three Swiss teams which reached the podium were disqualified because their axles do not conform to the rules.
1998
There are also Horn sled races on the Olympic Bob Run St. Moritz.
1998
A new film featuring skiing down the Bob Run is shot by Willy Bogner.
2001
Setting a record on the start section of the run but finishing only in 5th Place Switzerland 1 of Reto Götschi at the World Championship 2001 in St. Moritz.
2001
Management of the Olympic Bob Run St. Moritz-Celerina is entrusted to the St. Moritz Tourist Association through a “simple partnership” between the municipalities and the tourist organizations of St. Moritz and Celerina.
2004
Swiss television broadcasts skating down the Olympic Bob Run in 2004.
2011
The long-standing club president Gunter Sachs passes away. He is succeeded by his son, Rolf Sachs.
2014
Sliding from Bridge Corner to the Finish instead of driving? That’s what happened to an American four-man bobsleigh team in 2014 after a crash.
2017
Ice canal instead of rally track: Stuntman Mark Higgins ventures out on the bobsleigh run in a car in 2017.
2019
Rolf Sachs is honorably discharged as President of the Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club. He is succeeded by Fritz Burkard.
2020
St. Moritz welcomes the athletes of the Youth Olympic Winter Games 2020. The competitions in speed skating on the frozen lake and bobsleigh, luge and skeleton on the Olympic Bob Run are held here in St. Moritz.
2021
This is how filming in the Bob Run works today. Experience the Bob Run virtually.
2022
The Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club celebrates its 125th anniversary. On December 21, 1897, the world’s first bobsleigh club was founded in St. Moritz at the Kulm Hotel. The celebrations include a gala dinner at the founding venue, the Kulm Hotel.
2023
St. Moritz is the venue of the IBSF Bob and Skeleton World Championships and the IBSF Para Sport World Championships. The Championships will take place on the Olympic Bob Run. You can see impressions of the event in the film.
2023
A milestone in bobsleigh history: In St. Moritz, the birthplace of Bobsleigh and Skeleton, the Para-Bob, a bobsleigh for physically impaired athletes, was developed in 2012. In St. Moritz in 2023, Para-Bobsleigh is for the first time included in the program of the conventional Bobsleigh World Championships. The Gold medal in the mixed-gender discipline was won by Hermann Ellmauer from Austria.
GUEST RIDES
Experience the Olympic Bob Run on a guest ride: Sitting between an experienced pilot and brakeman, you whiz along the 1722 metre long ice canal in a four-man bobsleigh in 75 seconds. 19 curves and centrifugal forces of 4G are included.
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