Brad Hall: Bobsleigh pilot launches crowdfunding appeal to raise money to hire a sled

Brad Hall (second from right) finished 17th at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the four-man bobsleigh

British bobsleigh pilot Brad Hall hopes a crowdfunding campaign will help raise the £6,000 he needs to hire a two-man sled for March's World Championships.

UK Sport decided to withdraw funding for the bobsleigh programme after GB teams failed to challenge for a medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

They have provided interim funding for this season, but only for the women's two-person and men's four-man teams.

"(Crowd-funding support) is massively important," Hall told BBC Sport.

"If we don't have it we really don't stand a chance.

"It's like Lewis Hamilton driving a Peugeot 106 in Formula 1 so we need the equipment."

The British team know they need to secure a medal, or at least challenge for one, in order to convince UK Sport to reinvest in the programme heading towards the next Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022.

The funding body made the decision to provide interim financial support for the men's four-man teams based on evidence of recent success - namely two World Cup medals before Pyeongchang 2018.

However, results in that discipline have continued to disappoint since Britain's teams finished 17th and 18th at the Winter Olympics.

Last month, Hall used a rented sled to secure sixth place in St Moritz, Switzerland, which was GB's best two-man World Cup result for 13 years. His team finished 14th in the four-man race.

The British women's team - led by pilot Mica McNeill - launched a crowdfunding campaign before the last Olympics after the national governing body controversially chose to withdraw funding following an overspend.

McNeill raised more than £40,000 and finished a British record eighth in Pyeongchang with brakewoman Mica Moore.

Hall was initially aiming to raise £12,000, but was able to reduce that by sourcing a sled in Canada, removing the need to ship one over from Europe.

"We have the start and the drive, it's just the equipment that's the last piece of the puzzle to really get us on that podium," he added.

The 2019 bobsleigh and skeleton World Championships take place in Whistler, Canada, between 1-9 March.