Jaguar Racing and Lear Develop Extractable F1 Seat Chassis
MAGNY COURS, France, Jun 30, 2000 - Jaguar Racing, in cooperation with the team's Technology Partner, Lear Corporation (NYSE: LEA), today presented to the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) a new lightweight Jaguar R1 chassis equipped with a Formula One extractable seat system for use in training sessions for Grand Prix race track marshals.
The new Jaguar R1 training chassis, debuting at the French Grand Prix, will be shipped to subsequent Grand Prix races to train marshals for potential driver extrication. The award-winning extractable seat system was a collaboration between technical and design engineers at Lear, Jaguar Racing (formerly Stewart Grand Prix) and the FIA. The FIA's Technical Working Group adopted the technical specifications from the prototype seat designed and developed by Lear and Jaguar Racing in conjunction with Professor Sid Watkins, the FIA Medical Commission Chairman, and Charlie Whiting, the FIA Safety Delegate. This type of extractable seat became mandatory on all Formula One cars from January 1, 1999.
The seat is designed for rapid extrication of an injured driver (30% faster than conventional methods), to prevent further injury and to provide better stabilization. Track marshals are trained to apply the extractable seat system's head stabilization board, attach the belts and lift the immobilized driver from his car without causing further injury. Fortunately, the extractable seat has not been put to the test during the 1999 or 2000 Grand Prix seasons, but each driver now uses a version of the seat made in accordance with Lear-Jaguar Racing design specifications.
The extractable seat system has earned several important safety awards. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) presented Lear and Jaguar Racing with its prestigious 1998 Motorsports Engineering Safety Award for "outstanding contribution to state-of-the-art motorsports engineering."
Automotive and Transportation Interiors Magazine also awarded the extractable seat with top prize in the magazine's 1999 Interior Design and Technology Awards' Production Division/Safety Category. One judge called it "a truly innovative design and engineering solution with easily measurable gains in safety." Another said, "This concept is particularly commendable because any translation to production vehicles means extending the seat's safety responsibilities still further, beyond current work with whiplash protection."
In addition to its work with the extractable seat, Lear also worked integrally with Jaguar Racing to develop the Formula One drivers' seats entirely using computer-aided design. Lear designers use highly specialized modeling and software to help determine the optimum position to enhance driver comfort, which can have a major impact on driver performance. Lear also has helped the team focus on vehicle packaging, driver anthropometry (the study of human measurements) and custom seat design. The new design converted the uncomfortable, old foam seat to new, carbon fiber/kevlar composite structural sheet supplemented with individualized foam inserts to enhance driver comfort and support. The new seat structure also is lighter, an important factor in racing.
In the continuing pursuit of improved safety in motorsports, Lear's engineers have been furthering the art of seating and cockpit safety systems including a new innovative extractable system to be shown at the US Grand Prix in September of this year. This area represents another opportunity for Lear to make major contributions to Formula One and motorsports safety, and also to develop safety applications that will transfer from the racetrack to the roadways.
Lear Corporation, a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, is one of the world's largest automotive suppliers, with 1999 sales of $12.4 billion. The company's world-class products are designed, engineered and manufactured by more than 120,000 employees in over 300 facilities located in 33 countries. Information about Lear and its products is available on the Internet at www.lear.com .
CONTACT: Karen Stewart-Spica, Director - Tech. Communications of Lear Corporation, 248-447-5396; or Cameron Kelleher, Media Relations Manager of Stewart Grand Prix +44-0-1908-279-794 (UK)
