Did you know more than 8,000 people will carry the Olympic Torch on its ceremonial relay across the United Kingdom, running about 110 miles a day through tough weather conditions? The Olympic Torch works somewhat like the burner of a hot-air balloon and burns a mixture that is two parts propane and one part butane. To keep the Olympic torch burning as it is carried through the English drizzle, organizers turned to BMW’s engineering team. Researchers used the automaker’s wind tunnels and climate simulators to test the propane- and butane-powered torch in gale-force winds, snow and below-freezing temperatures. “The extreme conditions are probably much worse than it will see in a U.K. summer,” says project manager Stuart Hawker
Check out a the video below of some of the testing that took place:
