After the deaths of world renowned racers like Fireball Roberts as well as others, the auto racing neighborhood ultimately decided that sufficient was enough and that a brand-new remedy to managing and also carrying fuel was needed. USAC took the lead and mosted likely to Firestone to see what they can determine in developing a “risk-free” fuel container. The firm had huge experience in creating bladderized fuel cells for aircraft and also various other applications and also they were a natural suitable for this work. They were additionally neck deep in racing at that point too, so it all made complete feeling.

The job was not as easy as you would certainly expect, generally due to the fact that the fuel control demands of a race vehicle were absolutely various than that of a plane. With the enhancement of a bladder, it typical baffles were gotten rid of from the gas container which left the gas free to slosh back and forth with some physical violence. This upset the weight balance of the automobile as well as commonly starved the engine. You’ll see some unbelievable video of that as they ran an Indy Car with clear plastic gas containers to examine the fuel movement.

It was the Scott Paper Company that offered the option (surprisingly). Their growth of the polyurethane foam called “Safe Foam” was the key to making the gas cell work in the 1960 and also it is still the technique to making them work (typically) today.

When the idea was confirmed, examined, and also reveals to be effective, essentially every racing body on earth called for gas cells to maintain their rivals safe.

We typically know why we use specific things in auto racing however this is the unusual possibility to see exactly how everything came together. Offer it a watch!

Check out this film on how Firestone helped think of the racing fuel cell–