Racing has a history of danger and in the mid-twentieth century safety was pretty much an afterthought. With the efforts of people such as Formula 1 champion Sir Jackie Stewart, tremendous progress has been achieved. Where once fiery wrecks were all too common, it is now so rare that racers and fans almost never have to be confronted with fuel fires. One of the pioneer companies that developed fuel tanks that would not only survive racing crashes, but would remain intact enough to ensure that the fuel never ignited after a collision.
I visited the ATL booth where they showcased a graphic example of just how dependable their fuel cell is when the worst happens.
This is the actual ATL fuel tank post-crash. Despite the tremendous forces of the multiple impacts to the race car no fuel or vapors escaped to be ignited. Here is the testimonial of the driver:
There was a video of the racing incident that was shown at the booth. It is tough enough to see the impacts as the shunt takes place and tougher still to imagine what it would have been like if the ATL technology were not as effective as it is. I remember well the days when fires were all too common and drivers wouldn’t entertain using seat belts and harnesses since they would rather have been thrown from the care than be caught in one on fire.
We can all be thankful that driver safety is in a much better place than it once was thanks to the efforts of many racers to improve things involving the tracks and the cars. Including companies like ATL.