Is it time something was done?

[PTRACER]

I've seen four fatalities live on TV now in the last six years and all were head injuries from hitting something external to the car - a tyre, a fence post, a piece of bodywork, a truck...

Are cockpit canopies viable at all? Maybe forming the head rest over the driver's head like an extra roll hoop?

[Cheeveer]

Yes, I think so. It is the only aspect that is still lethal to open-wheel racers. Kenny Bräck and Ryan Briscoe survived their shunts, yet Wilson did not. It is clear this is where the safety work has to concentrate on. I don't think making them look a bit like LMP cars is a bad thing. LMP racing hasn't changed because of roofs. Today's LMP1 cars are spaceships, and their style of canopies would not at all look out of place at Monaco or at Indianapolis. And they are almost open-wheelers as it is:



But I hear many drivers are not in favour of that. James Hinchcliffe being on of them. Ian mentioned tethers to bodywork parts like the nosecone elsewhere. But I fear that is not enough. While I'm of the opinion that while race tracks can be neutered by the safety crusade, the cars can never be "too safe".

[PTRACER]

Yeah and LMP1s are still really exciting to watch and lap only a few seconds off current F1 cars at circuits like Spa. The only reason against it is tradition, but it would have saved at least two of the drivers I mentioned. Worth it IMO.

[PTRACER]

No sooner after posting this thread the FIA are talking about it again:

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/fia-s ... kpit-tests

[kals]

Yesterday Dicksplaash posted an article which included parts of an interview with Derrick Walker, who says canopies are not the answer. His preferred solution being a form of a windshield. I find myself agreeing with him. There are risks and challenges with canopies on single seaters, some obvious ones that are known and others that are not because barely any R&D has been done. Canopies work in sportscar racing because the cars are inherently wider and doors / exit hatches are a simple to install and use. Single seaters don't have that luxury.

There's no guarantee that a canopy or windscreen system would have saved Dan Wheldon or Jules Bianchi, because the circumstances and severity of those accidents were extreme. A system would have deflected the debris away from Justin and Henry though.

What is needed is a research program into potential solutions, not knee jerk reactions.

[Ian-S]

There's a pic of the Merc proposal somewhere, which would work for problems like this, but could introduce other problems, whatever they use needs to be strong enough to withstand impacts, but not weak enough that when it does break it shatters and ends up impaling the driver.

At the end of the day, you can stick all the canopies, rollbars, tethers and all manner of other safety equipment on the cars, but fate will still find a unique way to kill a few people, this sport is dangerous, but there are others out there that are far worse, accept it and do what you can but understand shit will always happen when you least expect it, or walk away from the sport and find something else to do/watch.

[Sam]

NHRA also allows canopies in Top Fuel dragsters these days. They are not mandatory and not everyone uses them, but I think that is a validation that they can actually be used in racing cars.

Personally I think canopies are the way to go if something was to be done. A partial structure like a windscreen is never going to be as strong as a full canopy, so I don't see a point in not going for a full structure.

However, both windshields and canopies bring the inherent problems of reduced peripheral vision and bad visibility in the rain. And as far as canopies go, there are also the problems with driver extrication. As is so often the case there are pros and cons on both sides, and they must be analyzed carefully before decisions are made.

[PTRACER]

Getting a driver out of an LMP doesn't seem to be an issue, I don't see why this would be different. Why not extend the sidepod bodywork forward so they're level with the front of the cockpit and put a wide, triangular canopy over that? From the top, the car would look dart-shaped, but still look like a traditional open wheeler.

[kals]

Sportscars are significantly wider than single seaters Paul. Like Ian said, introducing one solution only serves to create a new problem. What is needed is an R&D program into cockpit safety solutions.