05 May 99

With more than two years of data now available to Ford engineers, the joint

program between Championship Auto Racing Teams and the Ford Racing

Advanced Technology group is progressing to the next level of impact safety

research while realizing new safety standards.

The 1997 and 1998 CART schedules enabled Ford engineers

to construct and calibrate a super-computer generated

model. The model is being used to create accident

simulations based on data gathered from the series to

give insight into the g force loads on, and tolerances of

the human body.

The calibration of the model required the technical

expertise of Ford engineers and the input of 1997 data

recorded from over 100 incidents. Fundamental input data

includes g force loads recorded by the Ford Blue Box

sensor, trackside reports, calculated debris fields,

injury and medical reports. The model was then tested

until the predicted outcome in the laboratory matched the

actual outcome on the track.

"While refining the model is a continuous process, by the

end of 1997 we had input enough data that we had very

high assurances that our model was bridging the gap

between theory and reality," said Paul Stanecki, program

manager. "While Dennis Vitolo may not have volunteered

for the assignment, his accident in Milwaukee was one of

the hardest recorded g force impacts -- more than 136

g's. Based on the dynamics of where he hit, how fast he

was going when he hit, how far he skid and the like, our

model's predictions into that upper level of possible

injury were confirmed."

The model being created by Ford engineers is being

constructed from an existing, standard software package,

MADYMO, which is accepted as an industry standard in

impact safety research. The accuracy of the model

increases as Ford engineers program all the collapsible

properties of a driver's environment, including the

drivers themselves, into the pre-packaged software shell.

"We measured drivers in the CART series to have body

dimensions available for our model," said Stanecki. "As

this information will be made available to the industry

and used in the manufacture of Ford production vehicles,

we wanted to get a comparison between the average CART

driver and the general population. For the most part the

two groups are identical with two exceptions: CART

drivers seem to have significantly bigger feet and larger

heads."

Other data to be input into the model includes precise

cockpit and chassis dimensions from all four CART

manufacturers and results from laboratory seat belt,

helmet and seat foam tests.

The 1999 FedEx Championship Series is the final year in

the three-year commitment between Ford Racing Advanced

Technology as the Official Safety Technologies Provider

and CART.