Last Sunday in London
source:
irl.racing-live.com
Tony George, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president
and chief executive officer, received the inaugural Pioneering and Innovation
Award at the Autosport Awards Dec. 5 in London for his leadership in the
development of the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) Barrier.
George received the award at the annual gala at the Grosvenor House on behalf of
the creators of the SAFER Barrier from Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the
leader of the Bahrain International Grand Prix circuit.
The SAFER Barrier, under development by the Indy Racing League and the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility since 1998,
absorbs energy during impacts with retaining walls and is one of the more
important safety breakthroughs in motorsports. NASCAR joined in the development
of the system in September 2000.
"It's been a big step forward in speedway racing," George said. "It's something
that was very important to me. The prospect of coming up with a soft wall has
been something we have been working on for the better part of a decade.
"After several years of hard work, we called upon the expert advice of the
people at the University of Nebraska. They have done a great job helping us in
the development of this system. Everyone in the IRL and NASCAR worked very hard
for this achievement."