ORP SANDTRAP A PROTOTYPE
Thu, 2008-08-28 10:29
New shutdown area at Indy intended to be the prototype for the future …
The NHRA’s decision to rework the shutdown area at O’Reilly Raceway
Park [ORP] was one put in motion in the days following the fatal
accident of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta in Englishtown.
This according to Kenny Bernstein, President of Professional Racers Organization [PRO], was something for which the NHRA deserves credit. Bernstein pointed out the design at ORP will serve as the prototype to be implemented at other facilities, notably the new zMax Dragway in Concord, NC, and the Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, Ca.
“This was their plan from the early going, it was just a matter of getting the right people together and the engineers – those who knew about sand, to make it happen,” Bernstein said, in a telephone interview on Wednesday afternoon. “They went to work with the plan to implement it here [Indianapolis].”
The NHRA’s decision to rework the shutdown area at O’Reilly Raceway
Park [ORP] was one put in motion in the days following the fatal
accident of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta in Englishtown.
This according to Kenny Bernstein, President of Professional Racers Organization [PRO], was something for which the NHRA deserves credit. Bernstein pointed out the design at ORP will serve as the prototype to be implemented at other facilities, notably the new zMax Dragway in Concord, NC, and the Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, Ca.
“This was their plan from the early going, it was just a matter of getting the right people together and the engineers – those who knew about sand, to make it happen,” Bernstein said, in a telephone interview on Wednesday afternoon. “They went to work with the plan to implement it here [Indianapolis].”
According to Bernstein, the NHRA sought input from as many directions as they could acquire.
“The NHRA was doing all they could at the other tracks along the way, but they were putting all of their energy into making it [the prototype design] happen for this facility,” Bernstein said. “They wanted to make sure we had the absolute best situation they could for that end of the racetrack.”
The new system at ORP includes four-foot-high concrete walls on each side of the sand trap, replacing two-foot-high steel Armco guardrails.
Atop the concrete walls is an eight-foot-high catch fence on both sides of the track, making the total height from the ground to the top of the fence a distance of 12 feet. The catch fences on the sides and at the end of the track are similar to what is used in speedway ovals in stock-car and open-wheel racing.
The entire trap measures 240 feet and is filled with small pea gravel. A six-foot-high net is placed 190 feet into the sand trap, followed by a 12-foot-high net at 215 feet. The distance from the second net to the catch fence adds an additional 25 feet to the runoff area. The catch fence at the end of the sand trap is 19 feet high.
These changes are part of NHRA's ongoing effort to improve safety.
In addition, experts from the University of Nebraska, creators of the SAFER wall barriers currently used in stock-car and open-wheel racing, will join NHRA officials and members of the racing community this weekend to field recommendations on improving safety.
The design at ORP reportedly also included input from the F.I.A., NASCAR and engineers such as Funny Car racer Jim Head.
“I totally give the NHRA the credit for making this project happen,” Bernstein said. “We [PRO] didn’t push on this at all. This was their [NHRA] program and they deserve the credit.”
Kenny Bernstein, shown here with Monster Energy Drink driver Tommy Johnson Jr., said the recent upgrade in the shutdown area was a process that NHRA deserves credit for bringing to fruition. (KennyBernstein.com Photo)
This according to Kenny Bernstein, President of Professional Racers Organization [PRO], was something for which the NHRA deserves credit. Bernstein pointed out the design at ORP will serve as the prototype to be implemented at other facilities, notably the new zMax Dragway in Concord, NC, and the Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, Ca.
“This was their plan from the early going, it was just a matter of getting the right people together and the engineers – those who knew about sand, to make it happen,” Bernstein said, in a telephone interview on Wednesday afternoon. “They went to work with the plan to implement it here [Indianapolis].”
New shutdown area at Indy intended to be the prototype for the future …
Kenny
Bernstein, shown here with Monster Energy Drink driver Tommy Johnson
Jr., said the recent upgrade in the shutdown area was a process that
NHRA deserves credit for bringing to fruition. (KennyBernstein.com
Photo)
This according to Kenny Bernstein, President of Professional Racers Organization [PRO], was something for which the NHRA deserves credit. Bernstein pointed out the design at ORP will serve as the prototype to be implemented at other facilities, notably the new zMax Dragway in Concord, NC, and the Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, Ca.
“This was their plan from the early going, it was just a matter of getting the right people together and the engineers – those who knew about sand, to make it happen,” Bernstein said, in a telephone interview on Wednesday afternoon. “They went to work with the plan to implement it here [Indianapolis].”
According to Bernstein, the NHRA sought input from as many directions as they could acquire.
“The NHRA was doing all they could at the other tracks along the way, but they were putting all of their energy into making it [the prototype design] happen for this facility,” Bernstein said. “They wanted to make sure we had the absolute best situation they could for that end of the racetrack.” The new system at ORP includes four-foot-high concrete walls on each side of the sand trap, replacing two-foot-high steel Armco guardrails.
Atop the concrete walls is an eight-foot-high catch fence on both sides of the track, making the total height from the ground to the top of the fence a distance of 12 feet. The catch fences on the sides and at the end of the track are similar to what is used in speedway ovals in stock-car and open-wheel racing.
The entire trap measures 240 feet and is filled with small pea gravel. A six-foot-high net is placed 190 feet into the sand trap, followed by a 12-foot-high net at 215 feet. The distance from the second net to the catch fence adds an additional 25 feet to the runoff area. The catch fence at the end of the sand trap is 19 feet high. These changes are part of NHRA's ongoing effort to improve safety.
In addition, experts from the University of Nebraska, creators of the SAFER wall barriers currently used in stock-car and open-wheel racing, will join NHRA officials and members of the racing community this weekend to field recommendations on improving safety.
The design at ORP reportedly also included input from the F.I.A., NASCAR and engineers such as Funny Car racer Jim Head.
“I totally give the NHRA the credit for making this project happen,” Bernstein said. “We [PRO] didn’t push on this at all. This was their [NHRA] program and they deserve the credit.”
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