February 2008 Update

Speedo's 2008-model swimsuit, the Speedo Fastskin LZR Racer (Lazer Racer - get it?) is out as of 14 Feb 2008, as seen on the NBC Today Show. The suit looks fast, and with swimmers like Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Leisel Jones, Park Tae-Hwan, and Kate Ziegler in them, I bet they will be the fastest swimsuit on the planet come Beijing during the 2008 Summer Olympics.

March 2007:

Speedo announced the launch of the Fastskin FS-PRO swimsuit, the fastest and most powerful lightweight swimsuit ever made. The newest addition to the brand’s stable of elite speed suits, the Fastskin FS-PRO is a lightweight yet equally fast alternative to Speedo’s evolutionary Fastskin FSII suit, which was worn by swimmers who earned 47 medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Athletes will compete in the The Fastskin FS-PRO at the 12th FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, March 25 – April 1, 2007.

Speedo enlisted the world’s top elite swimmers, including six-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, to aid in the research and development of the The Fastskin FS-PRO. Phelps played a key role in testing the suit as one of the first athletes to wear it in the water.

"The brand always listens to its athletes and the end result is that we feel confident wearing Speedo as we step up to the blocks," said Phelps. "I have been involved in the development and testing since the first prototype was produced. The combination of the lightweight fabric and the speed it gives me make the Fastskin FS-PRO feel like a second skin."

Developed in the Speedo Aqualab, the brand’s research and development headquarters, the Fastskin FS-PRO was engineered in response to feedback from athletes and coaches who were looking for a suit that had all the speed and compression of Speedo’s Fastskin and FSII but in a lightweight fabric. Tests have shown the Fastskin FS-PRO suit to have the lowest passive drag results of any lightweight woven suit on the market, helping athletes move even faster through the water.

Key features of the Speedo Fastskin FS-PRO include:

• Lightweight and powerful stretch
• Superior compression compared to other woven light suits
• Improved core stability compared to other woven light suits
• Improved fit through computer modeling and engineering
• Lower surface friction drag at a fabric level compared to other woven fabrics
• Lower overall passive drag compared to other light suits
• Water repellent and quick drying

Fabric
The Fastskin FS-PRO features new water-repellent fabric exclusive to Speedo: LZR Pulse. This lightweight fabric is woven from chlorine resistant elastane and ultra fine nylon yarn. In tests, the suit proved to have the lowest water absorption rate of woven fabrics allowing for a lighter feel and greater speed in the water. As the quickest drying woven suit on the market, the Fastskin FS-PRO offers superior comfort both in and out of the water.

• A high densiity microfiber fabric woven from chlorine resistant elastane and ultra fine nylon thread
• 15 % more powerful compression than any other lightweight suit on the market
• Significantly improved stretch and shape retention Water repellent coating limits water absorption resulting in a long lasting durable fabric
• Unique water repellent coating bonded to the LZR Pulse fabric via patented plasma process
• Bonding process produces durable and long lasting water repellent finish
• Limited water absorption creates an incredibly lightweight feel in the water
• Quick drying fabric enhances performance over multiple same day swims

Compression
The Fastskin FS-PRO provides the athlete with improved core stability during strokes and reduces energy loss through reduced muscle oscillation. The new suit also offers greater compression by area – meaning it exerts more power in a single square of fabric than other fabrics when tested – than any other lightweight suit.

• Significantly greater fabric power and compression than any other lightweight suit on the market
• Compression provides core stability and firmness during competition without feeling restrictive or heavy
• Improves muscle efficiency through reduction of excess muscle vibration

Engineered in 3D
The Fastskin FS-PRO was designed using data gained from the body scans of hundreds of elite international swimmers. The testing and analysis included a highly sophisticated process called Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) enabling Speedo to virtually analyze the drag and flow of water around swimmers and, in effect, create a virtual swimmer inside a computer.

• Seams vertically oriented to reduce drag based on CFD analysis (Computational Fluid Dynamics)
• Fit engineered from body scan data of hundreds of elite swimmers resulting in an optimum biomechanic fit
• Seams reinforced through innovative sewing process

In addition to working with some of the world’s top athletes, such as Phelps and Australia’s Grant Hackett, the Aqualab® team at Speedo enlisted the expertise of worldwide specialists to design the Fastskin FS-PRO. The development team included: Barry Bixler, Computer Fluid Dynamics Analysis (CFD), Dave Pease for flume testing at Otago University in New Zealand, and Rick Sharp, Swim Physiologist.

Speedo and the Boomerang Device, Fastskin and Aqualab are registered trademarks of and used under license from SPEEDO International Ltd. Warnaco Swimwear Inc., a division of The Warnaco Group Inc., is the authorized licensee of the Speedo trademark in North America and the Caribbean.