Hunter-Reay credits aeroscreen for tire not hitting his 長，率いる
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Ryan Hunter-Reay saw the scuff 示すs on the safety 審査する surrounding his 操縦室 and went to find ビデオ of the 衝突，墜落 he'd just walked away from.
It was then that Hunter-Reay learned the 権利 前線 wheel of Josef Newgarden´s car went 空輸の over Hunter-Reay´s car on the first （競技場の）トラック一周 of IndyCar's season 開始 race and was deflected by the aeroscreen, a 操縦室 safety 装置 introduced to the series last year.
"I knew it was going to be a big 衝撃. All of a sudden his car was in 前線 of 地雷," Hunter-Reay said Friday. "Natural human reaction at that point is you を締める for it, の近くに your 注目する，もくろむs, 肉親，親類d of you just flinch - like you would blink if somebody clapped their 手渡すs in 前線 of your 直面する. And that was as quickly as it happened. I had no idea what the シナリオ 現実に looked like until I saw the ビデオ."
Hunter-Reay went to the IndyCar trailer where he 設立する series 大統領 Jay Frye and patted him on the 支援する for, essentially, 押し進めるing for the safety 装置 that probably saved Hunter-Reay's life Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. The aeroscreen most likely kept Newgarden's tire from striking Hunter-Reay's helmet.
"It wasn't 極端に 劇の or anything," said Hunter-Reay, "I just said `This 絶対 made a difference. So thank you for it.´"
Andretti Autosport 修理d Hunter-Reay's car and aeroscreen and it was 認可するd to race Sunday on the street course in downtown St. Petersburg. He finished last in the opener when he was collected in Newgarden's spin in the 開始 moments.
Ed Carpenter Racing driver Rinus Veekay (21) leads Andretti Autosport driver Ryan Hunter-Reay (28) and A.J. Foyt 企業s driver Dalton Kellet (4) into turn two during the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama 自動車 race at Barber Motorsports Parkway, Sunday, April 18, 2021, in Birmingham, 式の. (AP Photo/Vasha 追跡（する）)
The aeroscreen was developed by Red Bull 前進するd 科学（工学）技術s to cover the open-空気／公表する 操縦室 with a （疑いを）晴らす 審査する that is 錨，総合司会者d by a titanium 枠組み. Its 目的 is to 保護する drivers from 飛行機で行くing 破片 and it 配達するd when first 実験（する）d by two 衝突，墜落s at Iowa Speedway last July.
Will 力／強力にする´s left 前線 wheel （機の）カム off his car and bounced within feet of his 長，率いる. On an 中止するd 再開する later in the race, Colton Herta´s car catapulted over Rinus VeeKay, 行方不明の VeeKay's 長，率いる by インチs but destroying the aeroscreen.
力／強力にする said Friday he 堅固に believes the aeroscreen would have 妨げるd the last two IndyCar fatalities. Dan Wheldon was killed in 2011 at Las Vegas when his 長，率いる slammed into a 政治家 in the 盗品故買者 and Justin Wilson died when a piece of 破片 struck his helmet at Pocono.
Wilson's death 最終的に led to the 開発 of the aeroscree n.
"To me, it would have 妨げるd the last two deaths," 力／強力にする said. "I'm pretty sure for Justin, it would have bounced off (the aeroscreen) and Dan would have ricocheted off (the 盗品故買者). You can't say for sure, but it's a 抱擁する 進歩. 抱擁する."
Frye said IndyCar is 熟考する／考慮するing Hunter-Reay's 衝突，墜落 but the aeroscreen "did what it was designed to do. I think if you look at the magnitude of what happened, and the 条件 that the 現在の 審査する is in, it 基本的に was untouched.
"There was some 示すs on the tearoffs, there was a wicker that goes 負かす／撃墜する the 前線 that was sheared off. Other than that it was 基本的に 無傷の."
決まり文句／製法 One in 2018 委任統治（領）d its 衝突，墜落-保護 halo, a curved 妨げる／法廷，弁護士業 that surrounds the driver´s 長，率いる and is connected by three points to the 乗り物 でっちあげる，人を罪に陥れる. Romain Grosjean credited it with saving his life in last November's fiery 衝突，墜落 in Bahrain. Grosjean is now an IndyCar 新人 who raced with the aeroscreen for the first time last 週末.
He said the aeroscreen made him feel a bit claustrophobic when he first sat in the car but as soon as he started 運動ing he forgot the 装置 was even there.
"It 完全に disappears," said Grosjean, who thinks visibility was the same between the aeroscreen and the halo. His one （民事の）告訴 of 最高気温s in the 操縦室 has already been raised by IndyCar 退役軍人s.
"It's 明白に an extra 層 of 保護, which is good," said Grosjean. "The only thing is just the 気温 goes 最高の high in the car and aerodynamically you must be losing a fair bit, but we don't care because everyone feels 安全な."
___
More AP 自動車 racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
