SAFER Barrier
The SAFER Barrier (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction Barrier), also known as a Soft Wall , is a barrier wall in front of the track, the purpose of which is to increase safety on motorsport racetracks. It is used almost exclusively on oval courses and is installed there in front of existing concrete walls. An exception is the Iowa Speedway , which opened in 2006 , where the SAFER Barrier was also installed in the outer area of the route boundary wall from the outset, thus dispensing with the conventional concrete walls.
Technical details
The SAFER Barrier consists of steel pipes welded together, behind which there are blocks of the plastic polystyrene . It absorbs part of the energy generated upon impact. This lowers the risk of life-threatening injuries and can minimize the damage to the vehicles, which also has a financial advantage for the racing teams.
history
Development of the SAFER Barrier began in 1998 in the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln under the direction of Dean Sicking. The work was sponsored by the Indy Racing League , which was also the first to have the SAFER Barrier installed. This happened in the run-up to the Indianapolis 500 of the year 2002 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway . Robby McGehee was the first rider to hit the new SAFER Barrier when he had an accident on the first day of training. The SAFER Barrier is now installed on nearly all ovals in the United States that are more than a mile long. All routes on which the IndyCar Series or top divisions of NASCAR drive have a SAFER Barrier at least in the corners. So far, it has only been found sporadically at the inner boundaries of the route.
