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Robby McGehee was lucky to survive the big hit
Photo: R. Laberge/Getty
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INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, May 5,
2002 – Everyone involved with the new SAFER barrier project at
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was pleased with the
performance of the energy-absorbing barrier after it took its
first hit May 5 during Opening Day of the 86th Indianapolis
500.
But perhaps no one was happier
with the function of the barrier than Robby McGehee, the
driver who made the historic first impact.
1999 Indianapolis 500 Bank One
Rookie of the Year McGehee hit the new SAFER (Steel And Foam
Energy Reduction) barrier in Turn 3 at 4:36 p.m. (EST).
McGehee spun entering Turn 3 of the 2.5-mile oval, hit the
SAFER barrier with the rear of the No. 10 Cahill Racing
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone and then continued into the
barrier with the right side of the car before coming to rest
on the grass strip between the track and the warm-up lane
between Turns 3 and 4. The car suffered heavy damage to the
rear and right side.
McGehee climbed from the car
complaining of pain in his left leg and was transported to
Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for X-rays and evaluation.
“I turned in, and it broke
loose,” McGehee said. “I guess I’m the first driver to test
the new soft-wall system, which is a distinction I’d rather
not have. I can tell you it’s not soft. I hit hard.
“But I can also assure you that I’m very glad it was there. I
think the angle that I hit made it a lot worse than it would
have been otherwise. I have a cut on one leg, and we’re just
going for more X-rays, but I think I’m fine.”
The unprecedented SAFER barrier was installed in late April
and early May after extensive research, design and testing
since 1998 by officials from the Indy Racing League and the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Midwest Roadside Safety
Facility. NASCAR joined in the development of the project in
September 2000.
A total of 4,240 feet of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s
permanent outside wall is covered with the energy-absorbing
barrier for May. Each turn of the speedway has 1,060 feet of
barrier and another 60 feet of transition element approaching
the actual energy-absorbing barrier.
The SAFER system performed as expected and provided enhanced
safety for McGehee, said Brian Barnhart, Indy Racing League
vice president of operations.
“We were anxious to get the wall up for a real-world
atmosphere and a real-world test,” Barnhart said. “I certainly
think one thing that happened today is that we tested on the
high-extreme end right away because that was an enormous
impact by Robby (McGehee). He was running at speed, 218, 219
mph. Just with the angle of impact, it was a very big impact.
“We are still trying to analyze the data, but I would say
first-hand first analysis of the wall, we are very encouraged
by what we saw out there. Robby never lost consciousness out
there.”
“Based on what we’ve seen, the wall behaved in a very, very
encouraging manner. We really like what we see. As I said,
Robby never lost consciousness. The car did not snag along the
wall. It slid along. It didn’t have a rebound angle. The wall
did not become detached. The foam performed flawlessly
behind.”
The only damage to the SAFER system from McGehee’s heavy
impact were gouges to the steel tubes welded together that
form the unified element of the wall, said Kevin Forbes,
Indianapolis Motor Speedway director of engineering and
construction.
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The wall only sustained minor damage
Photo: R. Laberge/Getty
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“Actually, due to the testing
that had been done over and over in Nebraska, the damage that
you all saw and that we saw at close inspection was very much
expected,” Forbes said. “It is very much in line with the
damage that had been done while the tests were conducted in
Nebraska.
“It was anticipated even to the
point that we had a repair kit that was available on one of
our repair trucks. The actual size of one gouge was so much in
line with what we were expecting that the patch plates that we
already had pre-made fit exactly over the patch.
“Some of the concerns we had just simply going through
something that has never been tried before – had been tested
but not in a real-world situation – everything held up very
well. Other that the puncture that occurred in a couple of the
tubes, the remainder of the tubes were virtually undamaged.”
The new energy-absorbing barrier is constructed in 20-foot
modules. Each module consists 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
every 10 feet. Six or seven sheets of polystyrene are used in
each bundle, depending on the location on the module.
McGehee’s impact caused hardly any damage to the polystyrene
sheets and other internal components of the SAFER system,
Forbes said.
“The extruded polystyrene foam bundles that actually provide
some of that deceleration, they were undamaged, virtually
undamaged,” Forbes said. “We had two small pieces that came
loose. Those were removed. The patches were welded in place,
and the track went back green.”
While Barnhart and Forbes were pleased with the performance of
the SAFER barrier during its first real-world test, both
indicated that development and research for the system will be
continuous.
“Safety in our sport in every area, whether it is the wall or
any other aspect of the car, is an ongoing development,”
Barnhart said. “I think that is going to be the case with this
wall, as well.”
--IMS--
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