All HANS on deck for 2001.

All Champ Cars will be fitted with the Head and Neck Support system (HANS) in 2001 after the device was made mandatory this week by the CART Team Owners. The device, which reduces the amount of head movement in the event of an accident, is widely believed to have saved many lives in both Champ Cars, Formula One and offshore powerboat racing since Dr Bob Hubbard designed it in the late 1990's.

The device has been seen on many cars this year but has only been a recommended safety precaution up until now. The device is attached to the driver and his cockpit before a race and does not interfere with the driver during a race. The system only comes into play when a driver makes contact with a wall whereby the tethers attached to the driver and the cockpit reduce head movement, thus reducing the chances of spinal injuries and whiplash.

As from the start of the 2001 testing season, all cars must be fitted with the device even if the driver is not planning any high speed running. The system must be worn throughout the race weekend and it has been strongly recommended for use on all circuits on the Champ Car calendar.

Research began on the device in the aftermath of Ayrton Senna's death in 1994 and a spate of serious oval crashes where drivers sustained heavy neck and back injuries. Back in January Indy Racing League driver Sam Schmidt was paralysed from the waist down when he made light contact with the wall at the Walt Disney World Oval in Florida. All IRL teams are currently looking in to the device as standard for their series.

Senna's crash made it clear that a drivers head was too exposed in the cockpit, Formula One began the trend in 1995 by installing high sided soft-cells in the cockpit of each car and gradually the system evolved from there.

"The introduction of the HANS Device for drivers in open-wheel racing is the most significant safety development since the introduction of the spec helmet," lauded CART Chief Steward Kirk Russell who added that the device was remaining optional on road courses because some drivers would need time to adjust to having the system when they are turning right as well as left.