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This may help in your search about harnesses fortythree

George Rice "Joie" Chitwood (April 14, 1912 – January 3, 1988) started his racecar driving career in 1934 at a dirt track in Winfield, Kansas. From there, he began racing sprint cars. In 1939 and 1940 he won the AAA East Coast Sprint car championship. He switched to the CSRA and won its title in 1942.[1] Between 1940 and 1950 he competed at the Indianapolis 500 seven times, finishing fifth on three different occasions. He was the first man ever to wear a safety belt at the Indy 500.
Jackie Stewart, 1966 saw him almost win the Indianapolis 500 on his first attempt, in John Mecom's Lola T90-Ford.
Safety belts have only been compulsory features in a Formula 1 car since 1972.
About half way down this page [LINK] gives examples of seat belts worn in F1. It covers the 4,6 and 7 point harness.
LINK:http://www.formula1-dictionary.net/s...eat_belts.html
and this Link
A Study by the FIA Circuits and Safety Department
LINK: http://www.atlasf1.com/news/safety.html

[windowlicker]

Originally Posted by fortythree ↗

Wire pic of the '61 "5 car mishap". I can't imagine what must have been going thro Ruby's head at this point. I remember an interview with Jackie Stewert where he said he was introduced to seat belts at Indy. Anyone know when that started and how?

Nice photo...


Don Davis in the 83 Dart-Kart by Rupp Trevis-Offy spun on oil from a broken tank on lap 49 on the main straight leaving his car facing on coming 160mph traffic. Don wandered slowly off of the track and you could hear the crowd screaming out as other cars raced towards him. A.J. Shepherd spun as he just tried to miss taking out Davis as he crossed the track and the chain reaction took place taking out four other racers.

With regards to belts being used Bill 'Shorty' Cantlon was reportedly using a harness in the mid 1920's and Barney Oldfield ordered a harness from a parachute manufacturer in 1922. Some drivers were using them through the 1930's but as with racers in Europe most drivers wanted to be thrown from a crash rather than being trapped in a fire.

Parnelli Jones said, "There was thinking they'd be safer being thrown clear, but that thinking was going away by the time I got to Indianapolis." Belts became mandatory safety items for Indycars in 1963.

Joie Chitwood is reported as being the first driver to use safety belts during the Indy 500, making his debut in 1940.

Interestingly a mandatory helmet rule didn't come in until 1935....

[windowlicker]

When Alexander Wurz's Benetton was squeezed into the first corner of the 1998 Canadian Grand Prix he took to the grass cutting the corner and taking out a number of cars before flipping three times into the gravel trap.

Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert and Jarno Trulli were involved but all took the re-started race with Wurz going on to finish 4th.

Wurz took part in 69 GP's initally with Benetton from 1997 to 2000, then testing for McLaren and Williams, finishing 3rd at the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix in a one off race for McLaren. He then raced for Williams in 2007, then tested for Honda and Brawn in 2008 and 2009.

He scored 45 points during this time with three third place finishes. Alex won Le Mans in 1996 and 2008.

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The Lotus 88 was Colin Chapman's cutting edge ground effect car for 1981 that would never end up taking part in a GP. The 88 used a twin chassis, one inside the other. The inner chassis would hold the cockpit and would be independently sprung from the outer one, which was designed to take the pressures of the ground effects. The outer chassis was in effect one massive ground effect system, producing huge amounts of downforce.

The car caused outrage from the other teams many of whom protested to the FIA as they felt the twin chassis breached the rules in terms of moveable aerodynamic devices. The car was banned after practising at the opening couple of rounds and then at the British GP.

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I haven't been able to find out too much about this photo...It appears to be a Formula 3 or Formula Junior race in the UK around the mid 60's and it looks like that landings going to hurt...

[windowlicker]

Originally Posted by windowlicker ↗

Frenchman Rene Arnoux goes off into the tyre wall at the Dutch GP 1982.

Original post from page 62.


A few more of Arnoux's heavy crash at Zandvoort 1982 when his front left wheel parted company with the RE30B on lap 21 after Rene had started from pole.

He took part in 165 races taking 149 starts from 1978 to 1989, scoring 181 points and winning seven races with twenty-two podiums, 18 poles and 12 fastest laps. He started 32 races for Ferrari and finished 3rd in the 1983 F1 Championship with them.

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These two photo's of Jochen Rindt after winning the Dutch GP in 1970, his first in the Lotus 72, show his emotions after discovering that his friend Piers Courage had perished in a fiery crash on lap 22.

Jochen said later, 'I saw the burning car and Pier's helmet very close to it. For many laps I desperately hoped that he had climbed out and thrown away his helmet, but then I realised that Piers, if he had come out, would never have put his helmet down so near to the car. That somebody is lost in this sport is nothing new, but it is bitter indeed when it happens to be your friend.....'

[The Dark]

There's a great angle of the Arnoux crash where as he hits the tire wall and sends them everywhere, in the background is an advert for Michelin, and clearly the Michelin man can be seen "running for cover".

Arnoux was certainly a lucky guy there, same corner as Daly crashed at in 1980 and went very airborne.

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Andrea de Cesaris in a McLaren MP4/1 at the Dutch GP 1981...

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Marc Blazquez crashing out of the Rally Argentina 2001 in his Seat Cordoba WRC Evo3.