The Fastlane Motorsports Forum

https://www.motorsport.com/general/news ... s/4333572/

Rest in peace. Who knows how many lives his invention has saved and will save in the future.

A huge contribution to motor racing safety across almost all categories. The HANS is the biggest move in drivers safety since the crash helmet and harnesses.

RIP Robert Hubbard

I think he saved pretty much everyone who went head on into the wall at Indy in recent years.

Does anyone remember when they were first introduced for F1? We were pretty against it.

PTRACER wrote: ↑5 years ago Does anyone remember when they were first introduced for F1? We were pretty against it.

Made compulsory in 2003. Felipe Massa became the first to race with HANS in a Grand Prix at Monza 2002.... ironically his crash in the 2004 Canadian Grand Prix when he hit the tyres at 150km/h at the hairpin was probably the first time when HANS made a difference and potentially saved a driver's life.

There had been resistance from other drivers, notably Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya and Nick Heidfeld.

In F1 tests the HANS was shown to reduce typical head motion in an accident by 44 percent, the force applied to the neck by 86 percent and the acceleration applied to the head by 68 percent

A little graphic I found demonstrating the benefits.

I was wondering whether Jim (Downing) would be mentioned (as he should be) in the article.

He and his Mazda powered RX-7s, Argos. and his own Kudzus were always welcome entries in IMSA,......'cept for the painful, yet awesome, sound of the rotaries. The ear piercing screaming raucous was especially painful , flying by then downshifting for T-1, whilst sitting in the echoing covered grandstands at Daytona.....
http://www.mulsannescorner.com/downing.htm / http://www.mulsannescorner.com/kudzuindex.html

'Don't mean to be off-topic but cabin fever perusing bringing back some memories.....