The Industry Liaison Group (ILG), formed in September 2006, is the most
recent addition to the FIA Institute’s structure. The group works as the
interface between the Institute’s research and the manufacturers who put
the results of that research into the market. It is therefore an
essential component in bringing safety to all levels of motor sport.
The ILG works in two ways. It provides a forum for a detailed dialogue
between the industry and the FIA Institute’s research team. And it offers
the manufacturers the chance to become partners in the Institute’s
various projects.
This is necessary to enable the FIA Institute’s working groups to maintain
a dialogue with the manufacturers and deliver standards that are
appropriate to the market. For instance, there is little point in
inventing a new safety measure if it uses exotic materials and is very
expensive to produce. The findings of the research must be cost-effective
and of the right standard for the manufacturers and vendors that produce
and sell the items. The ILG will help to guide those standards.
The ILG’s members include the major companies involved in manufacturing
safety equipment such as helmets, HANS devices and safety harnesses. A
further benefit of this memebership is for the FIA Institute to utilise
the resources of the manufacturers and vice versa.
Membership to the ILG is not just open to safety equipment manufacturers
but all sectors of the motor sport industry with an interest in safety,
including national sporting associations, motor racing teams and test houses.
Objectives
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To create the Forum
of choice for detailed technical dialogue with Industry, informing
the regulatory process and providing a catalyst for the improvement
of motor sport safety standards;
To establish the definitive ‘knowledge sharing’ network for
all stakeholders in the motor sport safety industry;
To identify and facilitate new opportunities for motor sport safety partnerships;
To leverage the support of industry in raising awareness of safety issues through
information and promotional campaigning;
To encourage, reward and communicate excellence in motor sport safety. |
Progress
The ILG holds around three meetings a year where members are invited to
discuss current projects, areas of potential research and trends in motor
sport safety. It also runs a number of workshops which offer a closer
examination of individual projects.
The first plenary session, held in Paris on 26th September 2006, was
attended by over 100 representatives from the motor sport safety industry.
It was followed by three workshops. The first looked at the Head And Neck
Support (HANS) device and Formula One helmets; the second at the development
of a young driver’s crash helmet; and the third at the introduction of a new
FIA seat performance specification. Further workshops are planned for 2007.
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