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PRI 2019: Researchers, Medical Professionals Offer New Insights On Safety At ICMS Congress
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Medical and scientific experts dedicated to advancing motorsports safety shared their latest research projects Wednesday at the International Council of Motorsport Sciences (ICMS) Annual Congress in Indianapolis. The two-day gathering is being held in conjunction with the 2019 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, which brings together motorsports professionals of every level and discipline.
“This is our 31st annual congress on motorsports medicine and safety, and I think that the audience we have represents a very international group from all around the world. They bring new ideas and they also learn new information and technology from the presenters of this conference,” said Don Andrews, ICMS executive director.
“This year there are multiple themes, but we’re ultimately trying to establish how we address specific injuries, particularly head injury, in motorsports. This translates to other contact sports as well. We’re also taking information from the highest levels of motorsports—IndyCar, Formula 1, NASCAR, NHRA—and disseminating it to the grassroots and weekend racer and everyone who can use this information but might not otherwise have access to it.”
Among Wednesday’s presenters was Naomi Deakin, MB, research associate at the University of Cambridge, England, who shared ongoing studies into motorsports concussion injuries. Supported by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the Cambridge research project could have vast implications for the safety and livelihoods of racers throughout the world, as well as participants in other contact sports.
“The reason I was here today was to talk about our research program, which is called Rescue Racer, and also to let our colleagues know over here that we have a post-injury study called CARS that we’re recruiting participants to. People who have been involved in an incident where there might have been a concussion or where they are concussed can come to Cambridge for some assessments and advice,” Deakin explained.
According to Deakin, the program has two aims: “The first is to see if we can find a rapid tool to identify or diagnose concussion—something that fits with the fast-paced environment of motorsport, something that is quick and is accurate. The second question we seek to answer is how do assessments change after concussion, and importantly, when can a driver return to race.”
Dr. Karyn Lun, a medical officer with the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport, has served 26 years with various track medical response teams. As an attendee, she said the conference’s free exchange of information offers professionals in the field expert education and resources they might not find elsewhere.
“I got to learn about the ICMS because of the IndyCar event at the Gold Coast in Australia,” she said. “This is a very unique conference in the world. It brings together multiple disciplines of medicine, paramedics and track safety engineers to collaborate in a scientific way and encourages research and development. There is nothing else like this that I’m aware of.”
Additional topics addressed on Wednesday included research into the effects of head accelerations, data gleaned from frontal cameras viewing racers in the Porsche GT3 Series, and technological advances in driver protection, among other studies. Thursday’s topics will include respiratory protection for first responders, hemorrhage control utilized by Medevac teams, and an annual update from the FIA Medical Commission.
For more information on the 2019 PRI Trade Show, visit prishow.com.
“This is our 31st annual congress on motorsports medicine and safety, and I think that the audience we have represents a very international group from all around the world. They bring new ideas and they also learn new information and technology from the presenters of this conference,” said Don Andrews, ICMS executive director.
“This year there are multiple themes, but we’re ultimately trying to establish how we address specific injuries, particularly head injury, in motorsports. This translates to other contact sports as well. We’re also taking information from the highest levels of motorsports—IndyCar, Formula 1, NASCAR, NHRA—and disseminating it to the grassroots and weekend racer and everyone who can use this information but might not otherwise have access to it.”
Among Wednesday’s presenters was Naomi Deakin, MB, research associate at the University of Cambridge, England, who shared ongoing studies into motorsports concussion injuries. Supported by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the Cambridge research project could have vast implications for the safety and livelihoods of racers throughout the world, as well as participants in other contact sports.
“The reason I was here today was to talk about our research program, which is called Rescue Racer, and also to let our colleagues know over here that we have a post-injury study called CARS that we’re recruiting participants to. People who have been involved in an incident where there might have been a concussion or where they are concussed can come to Cambridge for some assessments and advice,” Deakin explained.
According to Deakin, the program has two aims: “The first is to see if we can find a rapid tool to identify or diagnose concussion—something that fits with the fast-paced environment of motorsport, something that is quick and is accurate. The second question we seek to answer is how do assessments change after concussion, and importantly, when can a driver return to race.”
Dr. Karyn Lun, a medical officer with the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport, has served 26 years with various track medical response teams. As an attendee, she said the conference’s free exchange of information offers professionals in the field expert education and resources they might not find elsewhere.
“I got to learn about the ICMS because of the IndyCar event at the Gold Coast in Australia,” she said. “This is a very unique conference in the world. It brings together multiple disciplines of medicine, paramedics and track safety engineers to collaborate in a scientific way and encourages research and development. There is nothing else like this that I’m aware of.”
Additional topics addressed on Wednesday included research into the effects of head accelerations, data gleaned from frontal cameras viewing racers in the Porsche GT3 Series, and technological advances in driver protection, among other studies. Thursday’s topics will include respiratory protection for first responders, hemorrhage control utilized by Medevac teams, and an annual update from the FIA Medical Commission.
For more information on the 2019 PRI Trade Show, visit prishow.com.
