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Innovations:
Firesuit   |   Helmet   |   Earpiece   |   SWEMS   |   Attenuator  |   SAFER Barrier


Steel And Foam Energy Reduction

On May 1, 2002, Former Indy Racing League CEO Tony George announced a safety innovation that would revolutionize the sport of automobile racing. George announced that the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) Barrier would be installed in all four turns of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in time for practice for that year's Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.

Under development by the league and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility since 1998, the SAFER Barrier was designed to reduce the severity of impacts by IndyCar Series cars, one of the most effective safety measures taken in the racing industry in recent years.

The SAFER Barrier is constructed in 20-foot modules, with each module consisting of four rectangular steel tubes, welded together, to form a unified element. The modules are connected with four internal steel splices. Bundles of 2-inch-thick sheets of extruded, closed-cell polystyrene are placed between the concrete wall and the steel tubing modules.

Version 2 of the SAFER system was developed during 2002 and 2003 by the same team that developed the original SAFER system in response to many detailed studies of the original SAFER. Version 2 incorporates improvements that further minimize damage to the system upon impact, allow one configuration to be used for both open-wheel and stock cars and allow SAFER Barriers to be installed on virtually any race-track geometry, regardless of corner radius or banking. Since late 2003, Version 2 has become the standard and has been installed on a majority of the racetracks hosting open-wheel and stock-car racing.

All ovals on the IndyCar Series schedule have the system installed in all four turns. Iowa Speedway has installed the Alternative Backup Structure for the SAFER Barrier into its track design. Up until now, the system has been "retro-fitted" to the existing concrete walls (mainly in the turns) of racetracks. Iowa Speedway is only the first track to ever have the SAFER Barrier System around the perimeter of the track, but is the first to have installed the new system, which does not have a concrete wall behind it.

Under the direction of George, other key IMS and IRL officials involved in the development of the SAFER Barrier have been IMS Director of Engineering and Construction Kevin Forbes, former IRL Senior Technical Director Phil Casey, IRL President Brian Barnhart and former IRL Director of Medical Services Dr. Henry Bock. The team has worked closely with Dr. Dean Sicking, director of the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, and his staff since 1998.


SAFER AWARDS
Since its introduction, the SAFER Barrier has earned four major awards that have been presented to honor Tony George and the SAFER Barrier development team. The SAFER Barrier also received the inaugural Pioneering and Innovation Award at the Autosport Awards in 2004, the Louis Schwitzer Award, SEMA Motorsports Engineering Award and GM Racing Pioneer Award in 2002.

 
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