Sweeping safety upgrades made to IMS ahead of Indy 500
Widespread safety upgrades have been made to the fencing and barriers Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500.
The full roster of NTT IndyCar Series teams will get their first look at the improvements made by Penske Entertainment, which owns the track and series, during the April 10-11 Indy Open Test when the majority of May’s Indy 500 field will run on the oval.
The first change is found on the inside of Turn 3, where 1700 feet of new catchfence has been installed behind the barrier, which is an addition to the corner. Continuing around the track, the inside of Turn 4 has 800 feet of new SAFER barriers, which is another first-time addition to the circuit in that area.
The first change is found on the inside of Turn 3, where 1700 feet of new catchfence has been installed behind the barrier, which is an addition to the corner. Continuing around the track, the inside of Turn 4 has 800 feet of new SAFER barriers, which is another first-time addition to the circuit in that area.
Between Turns 3 and 4 on the inside of the short chute, 85 feet of guardrail has been replaced by a new SAFER barrier section, and in the biggest upgrade to the Speedway’s safety systems, brand-new SAFER foam has been installed in all pre-existing spots around the 2.5-mile oval.
“This is a big investment,” IndyCar president Jay Frye told RACER. “It’s millions to do all this because even doing the new SAFER foam all the way around the track is a big expense, which is amazing.”
For more information: www.racer.com
