P3C Track Frame
You can remain certain of one thing when it comes to Cervelo: they are 100% dedicated to and will continue to push the envelope of bicycle racing machines. Like Ferrari, Cervelo only makes super high-performance products which have an appeal for an audience much larger than those racing on European road circuits. Cervelo's road and tri racing frames have introduced a wide array of innovations to the world of cycling sports, and these innovations are clearly reflected on any number of competitors' products. Like Ferrari, what Cervelo learns from racing and racers is translated into every iteration of their frames for continual improvement and competitive advantages--whether those frames will ever see a race circuit or not.
But one racing discipline in which Cervelo has not been prominently visible is track racing. "Visible" is the key word here. Cervelo has been working behind the scenes developing track racing frames since the late-90s when Vroomen and White first started making bicycle frames. Cadence's own Brian Walton can attest to this: he rode and raced Cervelo track frames which were emblazoned by other manufacturers decals on a number of domestic and European tracks, and specifically in the 2000 Olympics. At that time, Brian received a "LeMond" track frame that looked conspicuously like a track specific P2. According to Brian, who had only two days to prepare on this new frame, it was "the single nicest riding track frame I ever rode; I knew instantly that it was the perfect bike for the Olympics."
Aside from Cervelo's prior involvement in track racing, it was at the end of 2004 that legendary track cycling coach Eddie B contacted Cervélo to build some frames for the Polish National Track Team. Without compromising their other endeavors, Cervélo agreed to start a project with Eddie B to design and build track racing frames for pursuit and points events. It was the 2005 track season that saw Team Poland riding prototype P3C Track frames and, in the process, winning a World Cup and scoring a Silver Medal at the World Championships. Clearly, the P3C Track was ready for a larger, albeit limited, audience.
For track racing bottom bracket stiffness is of paramount importance, and usually extra material (and therefore added weight) is placed in that area to beef up the stiffness. But it was soon realized that the road-going P3C tt/tri frame's bottom bracket was already stiff enough to race on the track. This was great news for teams and Cervelo engineers because it meant that the P3C Track does not have to be burdened with any extra material in the bottom bracket. In short, the P3C Track has remarkable bottom bracket stiffness without the weight penalty usually associated with track frames.
Also borrowed from the road-going P3C are its aerodynamic features, which are further enhanced in the track-specific design. But the P3C track is more than a just good pursuit bike: rider and steering geometries are well-suited for sprint events as well. In fact, in its very first appearance at a World Cup, the P3C Track was immediately victorious in the scratch race. The headtube is short enough for pursuit events, and stiff enough to be used with a rising stem for sprint events.
The P3C track comes nearly identical to the P3C tt/tri frame but lacks derailleur hangers.