PROFESSIONAL MOTORSPORT WORLD EXPO SPECIAL ISSUE 2017 Helmet design Advances in design, construction and materials are making competition helmets safer than ever

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EXPO SPECIAL ISSUE 2017 crash modelling...

Interviewed Volker Strycek

Published by UKi Media & Events Director, Opel Motorsport Mark Barge MD, Ricardo Performance Products division Martijn de Mooij Technical development manager, Cruden

THE MAGAZINE FOR THOSE IN THE BUSINESS OF GOING MOTOR RACING TRACK TEST: ACURA NSX GT3 P.10, TOYOTA COROLLA FORMULA D P.15, BMW M8 GTE P.18, TRANSMISSION DEVELOPMENT P.34, SIMULATION ADVANCES P.42 WWW.PMW-MAGAZINE.COM 054 SUPPLIER INTERVIEW: GEOBRUGG Layer of protection

Geobrugg’s 6m spacing is made As the speed of race cars increases, debris fences are possible by a unique interconnection system for the ropes and nets. Peter playing a more important role than ever in track safety Utz, head of technical department WORDS BY KARL VADASZFFY safety solutions, says, “The idea behind reducing the number of posts Swiss company Geobrugg, installation, using either standard was steel post impact reduction, which which has subsidiaries and barriers or custom-made solutions. is most severe for bikes but can also partners in over 50 countries, The only company in the motorsport be devastating for cars as they are the develops and manufactures high- market to offer tested systems, hardest spot within a debris fence.” tensile steel wire safety nets and Geobrugg has released a new debris The Debris Fence system was tested meshes for protection against natural fence with 6m post spacing as an at Dynamic Test Center’s facility in the hazards and for the motorsport alternative to the standard 4m post Swiss Jura mountains, where engineers industry, the latter increasing spacing systems on offer. applied FIA testing conditions – a racetrack safety levels. Over 50 years’ After a severe NASCAR incident vehicle of one ton at a speed of 150km/h experience in constructing wire nets in Daytona, Florida in 2013, in which (93mph), with the center of gravity and meshes has resulted in solutions a car was completely destroyed hitting the fence at a height of 2m (6.6ft) that are characterized by their and debris flew into the crowd, a and an angle of 20° – to validate it. strength, high energy absorption call was made by the industry for Utz comments, “All elements of capacity, and supreme durability. manufacturers to discover how to the Debris Fence 6m work together Production facilities on four improve debris fences. As steel posts harmoniously and, therefore, the level continents house 350 specialists who are the most dangerous part of these of resistance is increased and the work with customers during all stages fences, a further call was made to energy absorption is more equal and of implementation, from design to reduce the number of posts used. more effective. We have achieved an

Expo Special Issue 2017 | www.pmw-magazine.com SUPPLIER INTERVIEW: GEOBRUGG 055

Höljes RX circuit, Sweden (main), the Bremerhaven Fischereihafenrennen, Germany, (left) and Paul Ricard, France (below) all use the latest Geobrugg products to protect drivers and riders

energy absorption capacity of “Our new system reduces the For instance, the gravel section almost 1,000kJ. This means we amount of material used and, above and joker lap are designed to be within have the same capacity as with the all, installation costs for the circuit a certain area of an existing Formula 1 Debris Fence 4m, despite a greater are minimized,” explains Utz. “As circuit, such as turns 11 to 13 at supporting distance between posts. we calculate it takes an hour’s work Circuit de Catalunya in Spain or at At the same time, there is less to erect each post, for a protected Hockenheimring in Germany. Here, in deformation in the fence and racetrack 5km in length, this means the days leading up to the Rallycross less debris behind the fence.” 50% fewer posts, which equals a weekend, mobile FIA debris fence In developing it, an end post saving of 400 posts, or 400 man-hours. sections are installed to mark the new (Endstütze) was tested with a In addition there are reduced transport layout, gravel sections are prepared compression strut (Druckstrebe). Says costs, lower material costs and a more and, if required, additional grandstands Utz, “Due to its eccentric control, the competitive installation cost.” are installed. “A standard racing bending moment is generated at the All these advantages benefit the circuit can be modified within days,” same time and the post is deflected racetrack owner or operator, but Utz states. laterally. This is how the degradation what of the benefits to the spectator? “We support such modification. of energy is optimized.” The eccentric Utz comments, “Fewer posts naturally No matter what the requirements of control of the compression strut means that the spectators gain a the customer, we offer a complete at the outer post prevents stability superior view of the track and the range of motorsport barriers to build failure. This also contributes to spectacle on it.” any racetrack. This could be a city harmonic energy degradation, Of today’s trends, he says that circuit, a permanent circuit with without any noteworthy power peaks. fences must be multifunctional, temporary extensions, or a complete A 2.8m-high (9ft) version of the or must house other infrastructure permanent circuit with multiple, Debris Fence 6m has been fitted at opportunities, to be an optimal different track layouts.” Höljes RX circuit in Sweden, which solution. “The space around a The introduction of Formula E hosts the FIA World Rallycross racetrack needs to be surrounded by has increased and advanced the Championship, providing improved a fence for safety, but also by solutions development of crash protection, safety with an unobstructed view that fulfill other needs, and the desire Utz suggests. “As Formula E races of the track for circuit operators. is that they fit together in one system,” take place in urban areas, where he says. “There is also a growing need space is limited, protection is for additional infrastructure such as dominated by mobile, temporarily camera openings and marshal posts. installed fences,” he explains. “At the As a result of these requirements, same time, we have the challenge of we are not just a fence supplier, but tackling increasing safety requirements a system supplier.” due to the proximity of the spectators There is also growing interest to the racetrack.” He concludes by in rallycross, which comprises an revealing that, as a result of these asphalt section, a gravel section, challenges, Geobrugg is currently and a joker lap. Utz states that it testing a new system through which is possible to transform a classic engineers are already able to prove Formula 1 track into a rallycross that the company’s energy absorption track by complementing fixed system also works with mobile racetracks with mobile elements. protection systems. <

“THE IDEA BEHIND REDUCING THE NUMBER OF POSTS WAS STEEL POST IMPACT REDUCTION, WHICH IS MOST SEVERE FOR BIKES BUT CAN ALSO BE DEVASTATING FOR CARS AS THEY ARE THE HARDEST SPOT WITHIN A DEBRIS FENCE” PETER UTZ, HEAD OF TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT SAFETY SOLUTIONS

www.pmw-magazine.com | Expo Special Issue 2017