Advancements in driver safety added for ’15

Via IndyCar.com

New generations of thigh panels and driver head surrounds for ovals will be incorporated in the Dallara chassis for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season, and INDYCAR continues to evaluate additional updates with driver safety the main priority.

The fourth-generation chassis enters its fourth year of competition on the most diverse set of racetracks in motorsports with a twist. Aerodynamic bodywork kits supplied by manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda will debut in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 27-29.

A modification of the headrest surround for road and street courses to reduce the low G force levels usually seen on bumpy street circuits when the driver’s helmet buffets the headrest was introduced for 2014. Similar construction, utilizing three different density layers of Confor foam, will be utilized for the oval headrest surround.

“With the help of Dallara, we found a rubberized material to replace the Kevlar covering for the oval spec headrest,” said Jeff Horton, INDYCAR’s director of engineering/safety. “As the Kevlar gets painted and repaired from cracks, it gets harder and doesn’t work as well. The rubberized covering stays flexible and supports Velcro, so the extra headrest pads that drivers like to use will come off easily.”

The road/street course headrest has a Nomex covering, and Horton said either that material or the rubberized cover can be used on road/street courses. Both headrests use Expanded Polypropylene (EPP), an engineered plastic foam material also used in molding driver seats, behind the driver’s head.

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