Safety First For IMSA's Hybrid GTPs
The new technology in IMSAs top-class cars came with safety protocols for teams and the series.
It's no secret to sports car racing fans that the biggest change in IMSA's top class of GTP prototypes introduced this year is a spec "energy storage system" (ESS) unit that makes each car a hybrid.
Located in a carefully constructed enclosure right next to the driver, the ESS does quite a bit.
"What I tell people is it’s like having a whole second powertrain in the car. Fuel tank, cooling system, gearbox – the hybrid system has all of that on its own, too," IMSA Technical Director Matt Kurdock told John Oreovicz in a season preview piece.
Oreovicz's story and Marshall Pruett's stellar video linked below cover most of the new systems’ technical aspects.
The changes go beyond new ways to calculate fuel mileage and power each car's extensive array of onboard electrical systems, however. The ESSs ushered in lots of new safety protocols, too.
IMSA's official regulations have an entire section titled "High Voltage (HV) Operations" with "requirements, training content, and procedures" that each team must follow. Among the requirements is a team-appointed "HV Safety Officer " who must know both the specifics of IMSA's GTP-class cars as well as the basics of hybrid vehicle systems. IMSA and each GTP manufacturer must have people in similar roles.
Anyone roaming around an IMSA garage area can see one of the safety protocols in action. Each GTP car has a light system that signifies to anyone near the vehicle whether it is safe or may have an HV-related malfunction.
The system has three signals. A steady green light signifies all is well. A flashing red light shows the car is unsafe to touch. White lights or no lights at all means the system's status is unknown, and the car is unsafe to touch.
If a driver is caught in a car that's unsafe, there is a specific protocol for getting out. Exit onto the sidepod, stand on it, and “jump away from car and onto ground with one clear motion," IMSA's written briefing on the process says. The driver should not touch the car and the ground at the same time.
The briefing has a still image of Toyota's Sebastian Buemi in mid-air while following the protocol after his Toyota malfunctioned during the 2022 6 Hours of Spa.
If a driver can't get out, track services must step in.
And what if someone is in contact with a car and being shocked?
They are not to be touched.
Rather, a special, insulated rescue hook--a common industrial safety tool--will be used.
References
Kurdock on hybrid power systems
https://www.imsa.com/news/2022/04/06/hybrid-101-learn-more-about-how-lmdh-hybrid-power-works/
IMSA regulations
https://www.imsa.com/competitors/2023-imsa-rules-regulations/
IMSA 2023 media resource guide (Indianapolis) with safety briefing
https://indd.adobe.com/view/16577a5f-2da6-4feb-b5ba-d4ea70d27a11