April Research Run Down

Chairman's Welcome

Welcome to the first edition of our new online newsletter, research run down. This initiative is aimed specifically at enhancing communications between the Australian Institute for Motor Sport Safety and its members and key stakeholders, and will be released each quarter. This enhanced approach to communications is an area that we have rightfully been criticised for in the past and are absolutely committed to rectifying. I intend to include articles in each edition that will describe AIMSS research and educational initiatives and outline the results of research projects as they emerge.

I hope you enjoy research run down. Please feel free to provide us with any feedback about how we can improve our communications or articles that you would like to see featured. Feedback can be directed to Sara Lettieri by emailing sara.lettieri@cams.com.au. Michael Henderson Chairman Australian Institute for Motor Sport Safety

In this issue

The Australian Institute for Motor Sport Safety has been steadily expanding its active program of research as well as planning for further studies in the future.

CLIPSAL 500

Locally, at the March 2009 Clipsal meeting in Adelaide the AIMSS team, with its colleagues from Melbourne University, were there again with a project following up its 2008 precursor. The objective of both these projects has been to study several aspects of the physiological demands on drivers and other participants in a long and usually hot single-driver professional touring car event. Many V8 Supercar teams have been hugely helpful in these undertakings, and AIMSS is very grateful to them for this.

CLEAR TO STEER

Last year we found that despite the best efforts of all concerned there were still problems for many in such events in keeping up their hydration levels. After studying the AIMSS results CAMS initiated the "Clear to Steer" campaign, a highly innovative program that will be a good example of how research can be a kick start for active safety countermeasures.

CARBON MONOXIDE

We also found last year that environmental carbon monoxide levels in some of the cars and garages were inclined to rise, and carbon monoxide is a highly undesirable pollutant. It results of course from burning fuel, and for 2009 V8 Supercars is using a fuel based on 85 per cent ethanol. It is reasonable to propose that this will have some effect, hopefully beneficial, on carbon monoxide emissions. There are more general potential environmental benefits in using alcohol-based fuels, which is why the change was made. The FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety, for which AIMSS is an official research partner, enthusiastically agreed to provide financial support for the 2009 follow-up study. This will be the first time in the world that such direct comparisons will be able to be made, once the findings are analysed.

SAFETY

A new and similarly ground-breaking study to be undertaken by AIMSS with the support of the FIA and V8 Supercars is to work towards greater safety in touring cars by analysing, millimetre by millimetre, the distribution of forces involved in a car-to-car side impact. This will involve crash testing two V8 Supercars, using instrumented crash barriers, and work has started on preparing the cars for testing. The implications for safety in motor sport are obvious, but also have possibilities for road car safety also.

Most competitors will by now know of, and be grateful for, the work of AIMSS in extending the validity of FIA-standard race harness from five years to ten, for non-International competition. AIMSS is very conscious that harnesses complying with the American SFI Specification are very popular among off-road competitors, but that the harnesses have only a two-year validity. AIMSS has considered research on SFI belts, but the SFI Specification is quite different from the FIA Standard and the webbing is made of a different, and generally more sun-sensitive, material. When funds are available AIMSS will work to determine whether an FIA-standard harness system may be made available for, or adapted to, the needs of off-road competitors.

In these and all safety matters, AIMSS is open to suggestions for research from all its own members and other motor sport participants. Finally, AIMSS is very grateful to the majority of licence-holders who have agreed to contribute $5 to further the work we are doing, and may be assured that very good use will be made of these contributions.