93henfan wrote:Open wheel, open cockpit is extremely dangerous business.
They've done a lot over the years to build the tub around the drivers and tether the assemblies and such, but there's still nothing but the visor of a helmet between the drivers' faces and all that debris on the track. It's nuts. Probably see some sort of plexi windshield or full canopy in Indy soon.
"......Canopies — plastic enclosures over open cockpits — have been proposed before, most recently after a Formula 1 crash in October 2014 that left Jules Bianchi in a coma for nine months — he died in July — and after a piece of debris struck James Hinchcliffe’s helmet during the Indianapolis Grand Prix in May 2014...
...The IndyCar Series began discussing canopies after Hinchcliffe’s incident. Formula 1 began testing full enclosures over the cockpits of its cars after Bianchi’s crash, while IndyCar’s safety committee discussed the possibility of a partial canopy. Neither sanctioning body has implemented such a device.
Derrick Walker, IndyCar’s president of operations and competition, said in October that a partial deflector would be preferred over a fully enclosed canopy. However, he indicated the redesign wouldn’t be available until the next generation of chassis is implemented.
“Getting out of the car as quickly as possible is the first priority, so a front deflector section seems to be a logical step,” Walker said in October. “It would be quite an exercise to install as an add-on piece, so it would have to be a part of the chassis design. Since the next generation of Dallara chassis isn’t expected for some time, 2018 probably presents the soonest opportunity.”...
http://sports.usatoday.com/2015/08/24/j ... ty-433304/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
So nothing until 2018. So run the next 2+ seasons with no changes. Maybe have another death? BS with the engineering minds they have available they couldn't engineer a partial deflector for next season.