Below please find an excerpt from an article and a soft wall system written and research by Mark Cipolloni.  This was originally written in 1996 – and the system that is being discussed was the result of five years of research studies by the FIA and is currently implemented in many different racing venues.  Why not NASCAR, why hasn’t the time, money, and resources been allocated to work with this technology?

 

Here are brief clips from the Impact Protection System and the Safer Walls, please! Article with links to both.  Please follow the links for the complete story on this research.

 

Finally, a safer wall system?

 by Mark Cipolloni
July 7, 2000

When we wrote our Safer walls, please! article back in 1996 we asked the racing community to respond to the challenge of designing an alternative to the rigid concrete walls that have killed or permanently injured many drivers.  We think Eurointernational may have come up with the best solution to date with its Impact Protection System (IPS). Note - this article is one of many I wrote when I was with 7th Gear which I allowed them to publish with permission

 

Background Introduction
Our article titled 'Safer walls, please!' prompted Dr. Arturo Antonio Ferrari Ph.D.ME, former CART owner, to contact AutoRacing1.com regarding an Impact Protection System (IPS) his company (Eurointernational) has developed.  We decided to take a further look and were quite pleased with what we found.

The IPS is the result of five years of research, studies, test and modifications.  This barrier has the official approval of the FIA and has just recently received authorization to be used experimentally at FIA approved tracks.  It is the only barrier to have received such approval.  To date a few other barrier systems have been tried, but they have had mixed results.  This barrier has also been approved by the FIK (Karting) and FIM (motorcycles). Because of these approvals the barrier is meeting with overnight acceptance from the racing community around the world:

1.       The IPS is the only barrier that meets FIA crash test requirements and has been approved (by Charlie Whiting, FIA Safety Director) to be used at Imola on the Rivazza corner (55 linear meters) and at the Variante Bassa corner (100 linear meters)

2.       100 meters will be installed at the Estoril circuit in Spain

3.       It seems likely that Interlagos Brazil will have around 900 linear meters of barriers installed in time for the March 26th F-1 race.  Other tracks in Brazil have made inquiries now that the word is out.

4.       There is a proposal in to install the IPS barrier at Laguna Seca in the corkscrew in front of the wall where Gonzalo Rodriquez was killed last September.  As we go to press this project looks likely to move forward.

5.       They are currently in discussions with the Zolder circuit in Belgium and Monza in Italy.

6.       The barrier will likely be installed in critical areas at both the Sepang circuit in Malaysia and the Nurburgring in Germany.

7.       There have been some preliminary discussions with Road America officials to install the IPS there as well.

8.       At the Palio di Siena, a horse race inside the historical Siena city square

 

Finally, a safer wall system?

 by Mark Cipolloni
July 7, 2000

When we wrote our Safer walls, please! article back in 1996

Introduction
Since auto racing began in earnest in the early 1900’s the sport has witnessed countless fatal accidents and serious injuries, particularly on oval race tracks. The problem is not with oval tracks themselves, but with the inherent high speeds on ovals and the rigid concrete walls which protect the viewing public from an out of control race car(s). We all know what happens when a high speed vehicle strikes an immovable object such as a wall. The driver can be seriously injured.

This past year (1996) alone the following CART and IRL drivers sustained serious or fatal injuries on oval tracks:
Scott Brayton, Alessandro Zampredri, Buddy Lazier, Eliseo Salazar, Stan Wattles, Eddie Cheever, Dan Drinan, Brad Murphey, Tony Stewart, Mark Dismore, Mark Blundell, Scott Goodyear, Paul Tracy and Emerson Fittipaldi (in 1998 and 1999 Greg Moore lost his life on an oval track and spectators were killed at Michigan and Charlotte.  Gonzalo Rodriquez lost his life against a concrete wall as well).

This list only includes Indy Car drivers injured on oval tracks. If you include all other forms of oval track racing, I’m sure the list would number well over 100 in just one year!