LED safety panels and in-car warning lights will be used at this weekend’s Grand Prix of Indianapolis, in an IndyCar first.
Several of the 20×20-inch LED panels will be positioned around the road course, and will be controlled by corner marshals.
According to IndyCar, they will complement the traditional flags, which will be retained in case multiple flag codes are necessary at a single corner.
The corresponding signals will also be transmitted to drivers’ steering wheels, and the rain light on the rear attenuator.
The system has been developed by British firm EM Motorsport and was used for the Indy Lights race which took place at IndyCar’s most recent event, at Barber Motorsports Park, before being rolled out for the top tier.
Data from the panels will also be sent back to race control, enhancing how they manage the session.
“This is an efficient way to give drivers the information they need to race as safely as possible, and it gives us in race control automatic visualisation that we’ve never had before,” said IndyCar race director Kyle Novak.
“This is a substantial investment in race control technology, and this system represents IndyCar’s continuing commitment to driver safety enhancements.”
IndyCar is the first North American sanctioning body to use an EM system, although the firm already works with the likes of Formula 1 and MotoGP.
It also already supplies IndyCar with accident data recorders and ear plug accelerometers.
“We’re extremely happy to be increasing our support to the NTT IndyCar Series in 2022 with the introduction of our T3 Flag Panels and Electronic Marshalling System, following the successful integration of our Accident Data Recorder and Ear Plug Accelerometers last year,” said EM Motorsport deputy manager Luca De Angelis.
“Working with America’s premier single-seater series not only helps them improve safety for their drivers and marshals, but will enable us to accelerate our rate of development for the latest safety innovations.”
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