Check out this RM100,000 racing wheelchair designed by Sauber

By sep, 23 June 2021

Sauber Group together with Orthotec, a subsidiary of the Swiss Paraplegics Foundation, unveiled the new OT FOXX racing wheelchair, Switzerland's first racing wheelchair. Designed for the highest levels of competition, its design was given the full aero R&D treatment for the likes of Sauber Aerodynamics and Sauber Engineering.

This super lightweight racing wheelchair is built using a full carbon chassis which has been aerodynamically enhanced using the latest tech, including Sauber's infamous wind tunnel (the one that once developed Formula 1s most aerodynamic race prototype). In other words, the OT FOXX cuts through the air like butter whilst offering great stability at high speeds.

Together with other Swiss tech partners, the OT FOXX will lead the way in bringing more innovation to everyday wheelchair users. As for its current use in competition, this racing wheelchair will make its debut at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, this summer. It's not cheap, though, as one unit is priced from CHF22,690 (around RM102,000).

Swiss athletes, Marcel Hug and Patricia Eachus, will be competing on the OT FOXX M1 and OT FOXX M1 respectively. The P1 is said to be more versatile in terms of sizing to fit a wider range of athletes who wish to compete using this Swiss racing wheelchair.

According to Benjamin Koch, Group Leader Aero Design, Sauber Aerodynamics, "The cooperation with Orthotec AG gives us a highly exciting and emotional insight into a new industry. The development and production of a high-end racing wheelchair, like a Formula One car, requires the interaction of various disciplines that come together in the Sauber Group."

"In addition to aerodynamic development, design and engineering resources have been used alongside the high-tech manufacturing possibilities. The combined know-how of Orthotec AG and the Sauber Group, as well as the close cooperation with world-class athletes, form the ideal basis for a racing wheelchair that sets a new benchmark in terms of performance," added Koch.