IndyCar
IRL: Motegi gets SAFER
In advance of the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series' third trip to Japan next month, Twin Ring Motegi, the 1.5-mile oval owned and built by Honda is installing the second generation SAFER barrier currently nearing completion on the Indianapolis ...
Edited: Mar 27, 2008, 5:32 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
In advance of the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series' third trip to Japan next month, Twin Ring Motegi, the 1.5-mile oval owned and built by Honda is installing the second generation SAFER barrier currently nearing completion on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Twin Ring Motegi will be the first international motorsports facility to install the SAFER barrier, widely recognized as a deterrent to major injury by drivers who impact this type of wall.
The track will have 4184 linear feet of this energy-absorbing material in place before the IRL arrives for its Indy Japan 300 on April 30th.
The SAFER barrier consists of rectangular steel tubing backed by polystyrene foam blocks. It is designed to reduce forces incurred by a race car involved in an accident and to increase driver safety. Barriers of 2568 feet will be placed in turns 1 and 2 while 1616 feet of material will be used in the third and fourth turns.
The Version 2 SAFER barrier has four major improvements from the original: barrier sections are slightly rolled or curved to provide a smoother impact surface; a universal Styrofoam shape was created that is compatible with IndyCar Series cars and with stock cars; there are improved attachment points to anchor the barrier to existing concrete retaining walls; there are five steel tubes welded together to form the barrier's exterior instead of the four used in Version 1.
All materials for the Twin Ring Motegi installation - about 344 tons of steel tubing, 753 foam blocks and 19,500 pieces of hardware/fasteners - comes from Mooresville, IN-based Elrod Corporation. It took 26 days to ship after being trucked to Chicago, traveling by rail to Los Angeles and Seattle and was then loaded on the same boat heading for Japan.
Two Elrod Corp. employees with extensive experience installing SAFER barriers will supervise Japanese workers placing the system around the 1.5- mile oval over the next month. The Japan Indy 300 is race #4 in a 17-event campaign, the longest in the Indy Racing League's ten-year history.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article IRL: Dixon talking positive for this season
Next article CHAMPCAR/CART: Series names announcers
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
Latest news
Manthey acknowledges IMSA to be "tougher than expected" despite two wins
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 11 h
Manthey acknowledges IMSA to be "tougher than expected" despite two wins
How a philosophy shift brought BMW to new heights in 2026
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 11 h
How a philosophy shift brought BMW to new heights in 2026
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
11 h
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Cleetus McFarland set to compete full-time for 2027 ARCA championship
ARCA
ARCA ARCA 12 h
Cleetus McFarland set to compete full-time for 2027 ARCA championship
Feature
Discover prime content
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
Feature
IndyCar
Feature
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe