PROGRESS
87
But the crash triggered a memory by Wickens’ longtime
friend and attorney, Len Gaik. In 2011, when Wheldon
crashed in Las Vegas, Wickens and Gaik discussed the
tragedy, and from that was born a rough idea of a fix that
might work, at least in some circumstances: Move the
support poles back away from the track, and attach the
fencing to the wall at the bottom, as it is now—but up
top, the fencing would be suspended from poles that Gaik
describes as “like a light pole, with an arm that extends
out toward the track.”
Gaik sketched out the idea, wrote a summary of it, and
applied for a patent, “just to see if anyone is interested,”
he says. “I have no idea if it would work, but we have to
do something.”FIRE:
This one, Olvey says, has been successfully addressed
in the professional series, “but you can always do more.”
As noted with many other safety innovations, “that
trickle-down just hasn’t trickled down” to many local
facilities and amateur drivers, though. Quality suits,
onboard fire extinguishers, and more durable fuel cells
have never been cheaper, so hopefully, maybe—someday.
But the desires and efforts of many to see that it does
aren’t going anywhere. AMRACETRACK SAFETY FENCE
Top Fence MountFence CablesBottom Fence MountFence
Post
Avoidance
ZoneTemporary
Wall/Barrier
Mount
OptionRace Track
Racetrack
Wall/BarrierDesigned by Len Gaik (Side View)
Support PostIndyCar’s
disaster in
Las Vegas in
’11 (above)
and Robert
Wickens’
crash last year
(below left)
are reminders
of fencing’s
shortcomings.
But Wickens’
(below, in
wheelchair)
attorney has
an idea (right).