RACE CONTROL • 47Series drivers are mandated to have fitted to their
helmets. it is strongly recommended in many other
open wheel classes global and across the Road to
Indy Series classes. The reinforced strip located at
the top of a helmet’s visor, where the shield meets
the helmet’s shell, have been put to use over
recent years and now many drivers are grateful
for this on going development and what it has
meant to them personally as a result. Several years
ago no it was very much in the spotlight following
several crashes during what was the inaugural
Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the road course and
one only has the remember the event and the
debris that struck driver James Hinchcliffe as he
approached the end of the infield back straight
heading towards the museum section of the track
and how that could have been way worst than it
was thanks to this strip.
There were other occasions that year where
this visor strip came into play. Bell as it turns out
wearing driver Martin Plowman’s helmet was
struck by debris during the crash that occurred
when the pole sitter Sebastian Saavedra stalled
on the starting grid and Carlos Munoz and then
Mikhail Aleshin struck Saavedra from behind; all
four drivers walked away uninjured, and Plowman
afterward tweeted a picture of his damaged
helmet and said, “I got very lucky. I tested the
safety of the new carbon-fibre strip today.” Equally
it was later on in that very same race the visor
strip was put to the test again as we mentioned
when the then Andretti Autosport driver James
Hinchcliffe’s Arai helmet was also struck by debris,
causing the Canadian to retire from the race and
visit the hospital, where he was diagnosed with
a concussion but without the Zylon strip, the
outcome could have been much worse. The thing
is it does not matter the type of helmet brand a
driver is wearing this helmet strip can be fitted to
any helmet by the Bell Racing staff, its not done by
other parties and must be correctly fitted and it’s
a service that Bell offers as they strive and push
the safety front. “Bell Racing fully supports the
use of the visor panel in the IndyCar series and at
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway because of the
additional protection it provides the driver,” said
Kietzmann.
According to Bell, it “uses an adhesive material
with surface tension properties that work in
conjunction with the polycarbonate substrate used
in Bell’s racing shields to create a secure bond able
to withstand the demanding conditions of Formula
One and Indy Car.”
Since that time the Zylon strips have worked