From straw bales to SAFER barriers
The past 50 years have seen an evolution of spectator safety, and the quest is ongoing.
By DAVE SCHEIBER and JIM TOMLIN
Published June 11, 2005
On June 11, 1955 - 50 years ago today - the Mercedes driven by Pierre Levegh at Le Mans in France slammed into a barrier and exploded, causing the worst disaster in auto racing history.
With little protection between the track and the fans, the engine, hood and rear axle of Levegh's car flew into the stands, killing about 80 spectators (along with Levegh) and injuring hundreds. Mercedes pulled out of the sport at the end of the season, not to return for more than 30 years; and Switzerland has banned the sport to this day.
It's not the only time spectators have been killed at the track. But an array of advancements have been made to protect people attending auto racing events - such as SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barriers that protect both drivers and fans, catch fences to keep cars inside the track, and tethers on wheels and hoods that keep them from flying into the stands.
"I think the SAFER barriers are probably one of the most significant breakthroughs in the last several years," said Daytona International Speedway track president Robin Braig. "But across the board, everybody's upgraded in their safety."
Catch fences have evolved over the years, added Braig, "from a simple highway guard rail when this track was first built to a fence we now have with reinforced cable and big pieces of concrete that cables tie into and then a mesh material that is really a cable-link fence to further keep anything from coming off the track."
Ramsey Poston, a communications executive at sanctioning body NASCAR, points to roof flaps, which help keep cars down, and restrictor plates used at tracks such as Daytona and Talladega as major safety innovations.
"The restrictor plates restrict the amount of horsepower our cars have, to keep them running below 200 mph," he said. "Once our cars get up and above that range, they tend to take off and get airborne. So if you believe and support safety, you've got to support restrictor plates."
Poston says NASCAR and the Indy Racing League worked closely in the development, construction and installation of SAFER barriers.
Part of the ongoing development is improvements in street circuits, such as the one used in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, where temporary barriers and fences are constructed to protect the fans.
That race's director of operations, Kirk Russell, says safety measures were poor when he began attending hill climbs in his native Pennsylvania in the 1950s and '60s.
"I would classify them as non-existent," he says of the facilities at the time, which included straw bales and primitive fences which were little more than "a way to keep people from getting in the way of the race cars."
Organizations take the issue far more seriously now - Russell was invited to Montreal, the site of Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix Formula One race, for a safety committee meeting under the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, the governing body of motorsports worldwide.