Delphi safety trucks to provide 'real-time' data.

The Indy Racing League and Delphi Corp's combined efforts to bring the most sophisticated safety aid racing technologies to the sport will be further realised in the 2004 season when, in a motorsports first, the IRL safety trucks will go equipped with two Delphi on-board camera systems for increased safety during rescue activities.

The two systems will help facilitate the treatment of an injured driver by providing vital, 'real-time' information to doctors and the rescue team.

"Safety is our number one priority,'' said William A Lafontaine, Delphi's corporate director of media relations and marketing communication, "These cameras will allow for more safety while the trucks are on the track, as well as helping us get the information we need to hospitals in advance of the driver's arrival, which can be an enormous benefit. In addition, we will be able to gather critical data needed to make racing safer."

A front-facing camera will record driver extraction from the vehicle, and transfer that video wirelessly to a nearby medical centre so doctors can have an early indication of the nature and severity of any injuries. Later, the safety team can review that same video to critique its performance and identify ways to improve on-site treatment.

The rear-facing camera will look into the back of the safety truck to monitor the two firemen assigned to ride with the crew, It will also monitor oil dry distribution to ensure proper application. The video will be fed to a monitor mounted in the front seat, where the passenger can observe the activity and advise the driver accordingly.

"Delphi is helping to give doctors and rescue workers the advantage of time as well as the gift of hindsight to help ensure we continue to build the safest environment for drivers and crews," said Dr Henry Bock, medical director for the Indy Racing League, "The new technologies from Delphi are a great step forward in improving on-track driver care."

The automotive industry is also beginning to see the potential for on-board cameras for more robust safety systems.

''Our involvement in racing has always gone beyond sponsorship by providing us a harsh tasting environment for our most recent and innovative products," said Delphi's motorsports technology manager Glen Gray, "Our racing, electronics and safety teams have worked very quickly to develop this application for the IRL, and we look forward to next season where we'll use the data we gather, not only to help improve racing safety, but to also transfer that knowledge to build even better safety systems for cars and trucks."

A team of Delphi engineers developed the new applications for the rescue vehicles.

"This is a great example of how our automotive experience and strong relationship with the league is positively impacting the sport," Gray added, "Because we have had a team of safety electronics experts developing camera applications for the automotive market for years, we were able to build on what they had done to deliver a solution to the IRL in just six months."

The 2004 Delphi safety trucks will also feature two other pieces of Delphi safety technology that should help everyone involved in rescue efforts - Delphi Forewarn
Back-Up Aid and the track condition radio.

The Forewarn Back-up Aid - currently available to consumers both as an aftermarket and OEM-installed option - uses radar technology to help drivers avoid objects behind their vehicle that might not be visible from the driver's seat. The radar system is able to detect objects as far as 16 feet away, which provides more coverage than similar systems that use ultrasonic components.

Delphi's track condition radio will allow the safety truck driver to obtain critical information from race control. A dash-mounted display communicates messages, including safety warnings and the track condition.

"This is only the beginning," Gray concluded, "We are looking at other ways to help the safety and rescue team, and we anticipate there will even be more Delphi
technologies for the safety truck by the start of the racing season next year. We are not standing still."