 |
 |
It was clear after Senna’s death
that drastic measures were needed to improve safety in Formula
One. This was certainly
not lost on FIA president Max Mosley, who has become the
major proponent of this cause over the last ten years. In
1994, he began a sustained campaign to improve safety in
motor sport, which has culminated in the creation of the
FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety.
Mosley’s first step in his campaign was to call upon
the help of Professor Sid Watkins MD. Watkins, one of the
world’s top neurosurgeons, had been working in Formula
One since 1978, when Bernie Ecclestone, then the owner of
the Brabham team and the boss of the Formula One Constructors
Association, offered him the job to be the championship’s
doctor.
Watkin’s forthright approach and no-nonsense
attitude had already made him a respected figure in Formula
One circles.
But it was his services to motor sport safety which would
entrench his place as one of the most important figures in
motor racing. His work in motor sport and safety has been
so valued that, in 2002, he was awarded the Order of the
British Empire (OBE).
Watkins is continually amazed at how
much safety in the sport has progressed since he first became
involved in the
1960s. He says: “There is an unbelievable difference
between motor sport now and when I first entered. In the
1960s and 1970s, for every ten accidents there was either
a death or a serious injury. Now the ratio is around one
in 300.”
It is testament to Watkins efforts that there has not been
a serious accident in Formula One since Senna’s death.
Michael Schumacher’s broken leg at Silverstone in 1999
and his brother Ralf’s compression fracture at Indianapolis
in 2004 are probably the worst accidents in the last ten
years, but neither were close to life threatening.
Much of
this is due to the research and action on safety led by Watkins
over the last 10 years. After Senna’s
accident, the FIA formed the Expert Advisory Safety Committee,
with Watkins as chairman. Watkins remembers: “It helped
to combine our expertise. We started to look at protection
in the car and changes on the circuit to improve safety in
Formula One.”
Members of the Committee included FIA
technical adviser Peter Wright, F1 race director Charlie
Whiting and his assistant
Herbie Blash, F1 safety delegate Roland Bruynseraede, driver
representative Gerhard Berger, and designer representative
Harvey Postlethwaite. The group combined their huge amount
of experience and knowledge to research and find solutions
for the major safety issues in the sport.
Watkins says an
important aspect of the group was that Mosley gave it the
freedom and the funding to undertake whatever
research it deemed necessary. No limits would be put on developing
the safety of the sport.
The group cooperated closely with
the UK’s Manufacturers
Research Institute (MRI) and subsequently with the Transport
Research Lab (TRL).
Watkins adds: “Over the years a
lot of safety features were introduced into Formula One.
We did the research and
passed on the results to the FIA Safety Commission and the
technical working groups of the teams. It then went to the
World Council to make new regulations. Everbody cooperated
very well.”
The Expert Advisory Safety Committee has
been responsible for introducing most of the major safety
measures that have
been brought into the sport in the last few years. It researched
and introduced the collapsible steering column, protective
foam around the top of the cockpit, new crash tests for front,
rear and side impacts and the Head And Neck Support device
now worn obligatorily by every driver.
The committee now includes
RenaultF1’s technical director
Pat Symonds, F1 drivers Michael Schumacher and Mark Webber,
and former McLaren designer John Barnard. They have also
overseen many changes to the circuits, such as larger run-off
areas and reduced g-force corners to protect the drivers.
Watkins says: “In terms of safety, the last ten years
have been a very successful era in Formula One.”
But
there are still improvements to make, especially in other
motor sports. In 2003, concerns were raised about safety
in the World Rally Championship, following a number of serious
accidents. Mosley asked Watkins to form a rally research
group, which has been very active with research over the
last two years to improve the safety within the cockpit of
the rally car. The research is also applicable to all closed
car racing, such as the GT and touring car championships.
Having
examined other types of racing, Watkins found that there
was also a lot of work that could be done to improve
safety in karting. So a further research group was formed,
focusing on the various karting championships.
At the beginning
of 2004, Mosley came up with the idea of putting all of the
research groups under one roof so that
they could share resources and expertise. The FIA Institute
for Motors Sport Safety was formed with a grant from the
FIA Foundation and Watkins was appointed its president.
Like
the Foundation, the Institute is a separate entity to the
FIA but in order to disseminate information and recommendations,
it reports to the FIA Safety Commission. The Institute began
operating in July 2004 but was officially inaugurated in
Paris in October 2004, on the 100th anniversary of the FIA.
The
Institute currently houses four working groups. The Open
Cockpit Research Group supervises all research into
safety issues relating to open cockpit racing cars, such
as those used in Formula One. Current projects include developing
improved high speed barriers for use at all Formula One circuits
and improved wheel tethers to ensure that the wheels do not
leave the car in an accident.
The Closed Car Research Group
supervises all safety research for closed cockpit racing
cars such as GT, touring and rally
cars. Current projects include dynamic tests of seat, seat
back support and lateral restraints in the cockpit of the
cars.
The Karting Research Group supervises safety research
for karts. Projects include the development of a helmet specifically
for young drivers and an improvement of the front and rear
bumpers on karts.
The final group, the Safety Training Working
Group, launched in July this year, co-ordinates and supports
safety training
for motor sport officials. It is focused on improving safety
training for marshals and officials worldwide.
Watkins believes
it has been a great help to have all of the research groups
under one umbrella. He says: “We
have a number of very active research programmes. We can
cross-fertilise from one group to another. It is really working
very well.”
An enormous amount of progress has been made since the institute
was set up last year. That is all set to continue as the
various projects progress. Watkins says: “It’s
a question of developing a concept and testing it scientifically
so then you can persuade the manufacturers and the teams
to accept the regulations. If you don’t have a scientific
basis they’re not convinced.”
The manufacturers have been supportive of the Institute
and its findings, especially as much of the research can
be used to improve safety in road cars. As Watkins puts it: “The
FIA, through this Institute, is producing some fundamental
research in regards to vehicle safety.”
Watkins role at the Institute is to supervise all of the
research activity and to represent the FIA at certain events
in order to promulgate the research. Even at 73 years old,
he is still very active, visiting races all over the world.
This season alone he’s been to most Formula One Grands
Prix, a number of rallies, some GT races and a couple of
World Touring Car events. Watkins says: “It is important
to keep the vision of the Institute across all motorsports.”
He
is always a welcome sight in the paddock. As most people
in the motor racing industry would agree, his presence alone
is enough to make the whole sport feel safer.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
