The tiniest edge, the biggest impact
In elite sport, hundredths of a second often separate glory from heartbreak. For Australia’s top athletes, finding those precious margins can define careers and gold medals (Tabotta, 2024), and Kyle and Weaver (2004) and Bassett et al., (1999) highlight how aerodynamic refinements in cycling revolutionised performance expectations.
For over half a century, research has strived to improve performance in cycling, often by reducing aerodynamic drag and bicycle design (Lukes, Chin, and Haake, 2005). This multidisciplinary effort, spanning fields such as fluid mechanics, sports science, and applied engineering, has created a rich body of knowledge that continues to underpin innovations in athletic performance and equipment design today.
The Australian Centre for Sports Aerodynamics (ACSA) offers something rare: the opportunity to extract real-world performance gains from aerodynamic refinement and advanced modelling, and not just for cyclists. It’s time that sporting organisations, coaches, and athletes across a range of disciplines recognise that ACSA is not merely a wind tunnel, but a performance partner.
At its core, aerodynamics is the study of air (or fluid) flow around objects (Pitman 2025). For athletes and their equipment, that means understanding and reducing drag, a primary resistance that can slow performance. However, ACSA’s value extends beyond calculating drag coefficients, focusing instead on translating those figures into meaningful, sport-specific performance improvements.
Since the 1980s, the integration of scientific disciplines such as biomechanics and aerodynamics into cycling has magnified the performance stakes (Mignot, 2022). Within this context, the UCI’s current track pursuit bike regulations, along with regulatory changes to allowable rider positioning on the bicycle (UCI Regulations 2.2.025; Union Cycliste Internationale [UCI] and Professional Cycling Council [PCC], 2021), illustrate how governing bodies can directly shape the realisation of marginal gains. Rather than simply delivering data, the Australian Centre for Sports Aerodynamics aims to measure aerodynamic drag to within 0.5%, equating to roughly a four-tenths of a second improvement in a team pursuit (Pitman, 2025), an event often decided by as little as one thousandth of a second
As noted across recent Olympic timed events (IOC, 2022; IOC, 2024), medal outcomes are often decided by tenths, hundredths, or even thousandths of a second in canoe sprint and track cycling, and by tenths over four heats in skeleton, as illustrated by a 0.01-second winning margin in the women’s C-1 200 m at Paris 2024 (O’Connor, 2024) and a 0.62-second margin in the women’s skeleton final at Beijing 2022 (International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation [IBSF], 2022).
The ACSA Advantage: World-class testing without leaving the hemisphere
Until its closure in 2022, the Monash University wind tunnel was the mainstay of sports aerodynamics in Australia and played a vital role in supporting athletes. In its absence, many sporting disciplines would have needed to travel to Europe or North America for dedicated testing. ACSA, located in Adelaide near the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) and close to airport infrastructure, eliminates that barrier. It is the only purpose-built, sport-specific wind tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere. Designed with the express purpose of national sporting impact, it allows athletes and coaches to test and retest under conditions that mirror their real-world challenges—from crosswinds in skeleton to drag lift dynamics in ski jumping.
Described by South Australian Sports Institute (SASI, 2024), ACSA houses a purpose-built wind tunnel specifically optimised for sports performance applications. The facility features a generous 2.9m by 2.2m nozzle area, capable of generating airflow speeds exceeding 30 metres per second (approximately 110 km/h). Engineered with precision, the tunnel maintains low turbulence levels and optimised boundary layer thickness to replicate realistic sporting conditions, while a sophisticated floor suction system allows for the accurate testing of low-clearance objects such as bicycles and sleds. Mounted on a high-mass foundation to ensure stability and minimal vibration, the integrated 6-component, dual-range force balance and high-accuracy turntable enable precise measurement of aerodynamic forces across a wide range of testing scenarios, including yaw angles up to 45 degrees (SASI), 2024).
Additional motorised roller systems support testing across wheeled sports disciplines, while the rapid-response fan system, capable of achieving 600 rpm, ensures efficient test cycles with minimal acoustic disturbance. Full air conditioning within the tunnel further maintains athlete thermal comfort and controlled test environments year-round (SASI), 2024).
Beyond its state-of-the-art infrastructure, ACSA offers a suite of tailored services designed to maximise performance impact. These include bespoke aerodynamic testing protocols, custom-designed test mapping for efficiency and outcomes, and the delivery of secure, detailed technical reports. ACSA’s expertise extends across performance engineering, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) development. Crucially, ACSA integrates these capabilities across the full performance life cycle, providing support from initial aerodynamic modelling through to competition analysis, in-field testing, and ongoing performance optimisation through iterative improvement processes.
Beyond cycling: Untapped potential in emerging and growth sports
Much of ACSA’s early work has been associated with cycling, however, the link between drag and performance is well established in this discipline (Kyle, 1979; Kyle and Weaver, 2004; Bassett et al., 1999), yet many other sports stand to benefit. Sports where timing, drag, and posture are critical, yet under-optimised, may include Triathlon, Swimming, Rowing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Skeleton, Bobsleigh, Luge, and Speed Skating. In these events differences of less than a second can determine funding, selection, and medals. Still, many of these disciplines have not fully leveraged aerodynamic modelling and testing. In fact, published data suggests athletes in bobsleigh (Chowdhury et al., 2015), and skeleton (Brownlie, 2020), are significantly impacted by drag due to posture and equipment configurations. Where seconds count, aerodynamics, in bobsleigh, for example, may lead to a competitive advantage through insights that translate to technical improvements and equipment design given the “widely shared view is that a 0.01 s reduction of the start time approximately correlates to 0.03 s reduction in the total time (Dabnichki and Avital, 2006).
The real power of ACSA isn’t just in the numbers. It’s in their ability to translate aerodynamic findings into real-time performance outcomes.
Testing sessions begin with baseline measurements, and throughout the day, athletes can trial different body positions, equipment, or clothing. By session’s end, athletes often achieve measurable improvements. One elite cyclist reported being 50 seconds faster over their competition distance post-session (Pitman 2025). These aren’t theoretical gains, they’re performance outcomes informed by evidence-based modelling and coached adjustment.
Challenges as opportunities: Awareness, engagement, and the ‘what next’ phase
Many sporting bodies still view wind tunnel testing as an expensive luxury or something exclusive to cycling and motorsports. However, ACSA’s mission is different: to elevate national sporting performance, not sell services. This means targeting underrepresented disciplines and educating them on the measurable benefits of aerodynamic and performance modelling. Operationally, the challenge isn’t testing, it’s the post-processing… it’s the turning data into action phase where the real effort and value lies. The Pitman (2025) mentions that “for every hour of testing, there may be three hours of analysis and feedback”. This is why partnerships with coaches and sport scientists are central to ACSA’s model.
ACSA operates under a mixed-use model: 75% national sporting purpose, 25% commercial support. This ensures elite Australian athletes receive priority access while maintaining an operational model that supports commercial users testing that align with ACSA’s values—the primary goal is national sports performance uplift. Moreover, its strategic location near SASI enables synergy with other sports science and performance services, offering a co-located ecosystem. This saves travel time and allows integrated development cycles for athletes.
From possibility to priority
Australian sport should not view aerodynamics as a niche. In an age where marginal gains translate directly into medals, ACSA represents a national asset with underexplored potential for many sporting disciplines. For sporting bodies, institutes, and athletes in growth or timing-critical sports, the message is clear: the path from fourth to first might run through Adelaide.
References
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(IOC) Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris (2024). Paris 2024 Canoe Sprint – Results Book. [online] International Olympic Committee. Available at: https://library.olympics.com/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/3416166/results-books-livres-des-resultats-paris-2024-paris-2024 [Accessed 12 Aug. 2025].
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