Trying to get out of the cockpit took forever and since this was the time when roll bars were yet to be regulatory, one can understand that the safety of the concept was ignored.Įxperimenting with driver safety on Formula One cars started in the sixties. The problem with the resonating engine and heat made the whole concept unattractive. ![]() Furthermore, the engine resonance nearly ripped out his fillings. The canopy barely ventilated and Moss felt like he was being cooked. During the grand prix of Monza in 1957, Vanwall gave Stirling Moss a car with a closed canopy, trying to create a better airflow around the cockpit increasing the top speed. Usually constructers let the body roll up to the drivers chest and shoulder where a tiny glass panel directed the wind over the drivers head, making the cars big, bulky and slow. Vanwall experimented with aerodynamics by keeping the body low on the chassis using Plexiglas give shape to the cockpit in a way that became the norm during the sixties. Together with Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks, Vanwall managed to clinch a total of nine victories between 19. Something that probably has to do with the fact that Colin Chapman started his career there. Vanwall Racing team was one of the teams during the fifties that loved experimenting with airflow and chassis construction. The discussion about canopies on Indy cars is more vibrant since Wheldon’s death than ever before, more so than in Formula One.Įxperimenting with closed-cockpit racing also evolved in Formula One, although on rare occasions. The Sumar Special never returned, but the concept proves to be a point of discussion 56 years after its presentation at Indianapolis. Daywalt still managed to convert a seventeenth grid position into a ninth place. The charkas that Daywalt was left with was safe enough to race, but it looked absolutely terrible. After some complaints from the organizations the rest of the body had to go as well. Furthermore, the builders thought about creating vents in the fenders to cool the tires and breaks but forgot about their driver Jimmy Daywalt. It was too heavy, mainly because it was a standard Indy racer with an extra body added to it. As beautiful as it may have been, the car was hardly a revelation. The Special is rightfully special as it was and still is the only closed-cockpit racing car ever used in the Indy 500. The Sumar Special had a streamliner body and canopy to enhance the aerodynamics, lowering wind resistance and increasing its straight line speed. It was an absolute beast to see and reminded everyone of the streamlined silver wings from the pre-war era. The Sumar Special was originally a Kurtis Offenhauser (the same manufacturer that also built the Pat Clancy Special from last week’s article) with an aerodynamic body and a Plexiglas canopy surrounding the cockpit. Because even the cockpit canopy has a history in single-seater motorsports.Ī great example of closed-cockpit racing is the 1955 Sumar Special. This week we will be taking a look into the history of cockpit protection. Whether it will be a soon as tomorrow or not for another 10 years, it is just a matter of time before the cockpits are going to be protected by regulation. It didn’t help Jules Bianchi in any way, did it? However, this is not an opinionated piece. However, the fatal accident of John Surtees’ son Henry in 2009 when a runaway tire bounced a few times over the track before dropping right on top of Surtees’ neck shows that even the heightening of the side walls is just a way to polish up driver safety. The cockpit side walls are by Formula One regulations way higher than they once were, making sure that sideway impacts don’t reach the drivers head. Examples like Fernando Alonso’s crash at the start of the Belgium grand prix in 2012 and Felipe Massa’s shunt at the Hungaroring in 2009 all show the same thing: the vulnerability of the drivers head in open-cockpit racing. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Jules Bianchi, Justin Wilson and Dan Wheldon while a few other drivers had a close brush with death. It must be said that critics do have their reasons. Every two or three years a new chapter in the discussion about the closed cockpit opens.
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