"I just try to drive straight down the track, but you really have to work together," said Florschutz.

For Kuske's part, his job is curl up into an aerodynamic position, not easy given his bulk, then flow with the rhythm going through the corners, supporting the driver with his weight -- rather like a motorcycle pillion passenger.

"And of course braking at the right time, so as not to let the pilot get too terrified!" he said -- unlike the "Cool Runnings" team who suffer a comical crash in the film after failing to stop at the end of the run.

The F1 comparison begins and ends with the speed comparison, because unlike a Sebastian Vettel or Lewis Hamilton, the pair have to repair and "fine tune" their own bobsled rather than having a massive team of mechanics to assist them.

And despite being at the top of their sport, both have trained for other professions -- Florschutz is a policeman while Kuske is in the German Federal Defense Force (the "Bundeswehr.")

German domination

They are seeking to continue the level of domination achieved by the German men's bobsleigh teams in world and Olympic championships.

Since Kuske's first Winter Games in 2002, German two-man teams have won three straight golds, achieving a 1-2 finish at Vancouver 2010.

In the four-man event, two gold medals were followed by a silver behind the United States quartet -- which, strangely given his winning record, Kuske rates as his most memorable achievement.

"The best was the silver medal in Vancouver. We had the best start times but we almost fell on our side on one run," he said.

"To pull that back and win the silver by one-hundredth (of a second, from Canada) was for me an emotional eruption as it was truly hard earned."

Kuske came from a strong sporting background -- both his parents were in the German national track and field team -- and they encouraged him to go one better.

"We had a family dream to go to the Olympics. When you're sitting in front of the TV and watching the Olympic Games, and you have sporty parents, that's naturally a big dream for you, because the Olympics are the biggest event there is," he said.

"Naturally it became more than a dream, at the first Olympics with the gold medal, and that was really my greatest goal, which I fulfilled pretty quickly, but it didn't stop there."

Golden focus

His longevity and medal haul has seen him earn celebrity status in Germany, while Florschutz has won three world championship silvers and Olympic silver in Vancouver.

He is hoping his partnership with Kuske, formed after the great German driver Andre Lange retired, will see him earn that elusive gold.

"Our biggest aim is to become the world champions and to become Olympic champions. We're a strong team. We've got every chance to be the best in the world with this team."