New Book ‘CRASH!’ Tells Story
Of Sebring Hall of Famer
By Jonathan Ingram
What do “Elvis,” the Sebring
Sports Car Racing
Hall of Fame and “Darth
Vader” all have in common?
A guy named Jim Downing,
of course.
A fi ve-time IMSA champion,
Downing scored three class
victories and 10 class podium
fi nishes in the Mobil 1
Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts.
The Kudzu prototypes he built won three class victories as
well, twice with Downing at the wheel. That plus 25 years
of participation and a good fi nishing record are enough
reasons to be elected to Sebring’s Hall of Fame.
Downing also earned entry because of the radical new
safety device he introduced to racing called the HANS,
sometimes known in its early days as an “Elvis” or “Darth
Vader” collar. (“Cinderella” was also heard when it initially
appeared in white gelcoat.) The device garnered such
nicknames because of its tall, wrap-around collar made
from carbon fi ber and resistance to the bulky appearance.
The HANS, whose offi cial name came from Head And
Neck Support, was invented by Dr. Robert Hubbard after
brother-in-law Downing asked why something couldn’t
be done about head injuries in motor racing? Starting in
the late 1980s, for many years the Atlanta driver was one
of the few in sports car racing to wear the unique device
designed by biomechanical engineer Hubbard to prevent
basal skull fractures, occasioned by sudden stops in racing
crashes.
The racing world eventually came to realize the value
of a HANS Device. By time Downing was inducted into
Sebring’s Hall of Fame in 2012, certifi ed head restraints
such as the HANS had been mandated for use by drivers
in all major racing series in the U.S. and around the world.
When the green fl ag drops for the SuperSebring weekend’s
FIA-sanctioned and IMSA-sanctioned races, all of the
drivers will be wearing a certifi ed head restraint and the
vast majority will use a HANS.
A new book titled “CRASH!” has been recently released
that tells the story of how Downing and Hubbard persisted
in their pursuit of better racing safety. Subtitled “CRASH!
From Senna to Earnhardt — How the HANS Helped Save
Racing,” the book tells the story of motor racing’s safety
revolution.
“CRASH!” includes an overview of safety in motor racing
throughout the 20th Century and how perceptions began
to change with the death of three-time Formula 1 champion
Ayrton Senna in 1994, when he was hit by a broken
suspension piece in a crash at the San Marino Grand
Prix. The book examines in detail the controversial fatal
crash of Dale Earnhardt from a basal skull fracture on the
last lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001, two decades after
Downing and Hubbard fi rst set out to create racing’s fi rst
head restraint.
The original “Elvis” version, or Model I, had two goals. One
was to prevent a basal skull fracture from a heavy impact
and sudden stop in a racing crash. The other goal was to
support the head and neck to prevent fatigue. The 12-hour
race at Sebring was one race where Downing used his
Head And Neck Support to stay fresh behind the wheel.
84
84