Champ Car safety team ready to roll in 2004.

Widely regarded as the finest safety unit in all of motorsports, the 2004 Champ Car Safety Team will be under the leadership of Dr. Chris Pinderski, M.D., FACEP who takes over as series Medical Director after 12 years of working with the renowned Champ Car Safety Team.

Pinderski, who has most recently served several seasons as the series Associate Medical Director, moves up to the lead role this year as Champ Car looks to capitalize on the strengths of its participating physicians. In addition to his racing duties, Pinderski serves as the Medical Director at Three Rivers Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Missouri and specializes in emergency medicine.

An Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Missouri, Pinderski has served as a physician with Champ Car since 1992 and has played an integral part in building the reputation of the series medical staff. He will be joined at the track by a pair of veteran Champ Car physicians in Dr. Richard Timms and Dr. Tim Weber. The team will also continue with its full compliment of emergency nurses and physical therapists.

"We are going to keep the same program that has worked so well in the past," Pinderski said. "The Champ Car World Series has set the standard in the motorsports community and we're going to continue it. We'll have a couple of different faces at the racetrack but the change should be pretty transparent otherwise."

Dr. Terry Trammell, Champ Car's Chief Orthopedic Consultant, will expand his role in research and development of safety equipment and procedures. Dr. Trammell will continue to work closely with Champ Car Technical Director Lee Dykstra in safety research and will serve as an advisor and consultant. Lon Bromley continues as Director of Safety, beginning his 19th year with the Champ Car Safety Team.

"I'm really excited about working with Lee again, and I'll get the chance to work on things I really wanted to do before but didn't have time," Trammell said. "I will still be deeply involved with the team and will be prepared to do whatever I can to help Champ Car."

Trammell will devote a greater amount of time to the testing of new safety components and will provide valuable expertise in bridging the gap between testing results and their effects on the human body.

"Dr. Trammell's knowledge of the human torso and the fact that he has experienced so much in his career will really help our research," Dykstra said. "He will be able to help us in a number of areas and the results he will provide us will impact motorsports for many years to come."

The medical team will again operate out of the state-of-the-art Champ Car Medical Unit, which operates as a mobile trauma center that provides Champ Car's medical staff with the capability to treat immediate life-threatening emergencies. The $1 million facility also houses the complete medical files on all the drivers, aiding in the treatment of any emergency.

"The fact is that the team is actually stronger than ever. We've gained a working trauma specialist with Dr. Pinderski who runs an emergency center on a daily basis, added other physicians with years of Champ Car Safety Team experience, and we're capitalizing on Dr. Trammell's strong research and development background," said Executive Vice-President of Operations John Lopes. "Combined, these gentlemen have decades of Champ Car Safety Team experience. We intend to maintain the quality of care of what is considered the industry benchmark among quick response safety teams."