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New Circuit Lighting System Leads Way for Increased Night Racing Worldwide

15 Diciembre 2020

A new lighting system developed by two leading F1 circuit suppliers is set to lead to more night races for championships worldwide by reducing costs and simplifying the logistics involved.

Debris fence manufacturer Geobrugg, which supplies 10 F1 circuits with FIA-homologated products, has come together with DZ Engineering Srl, member company of Dino Zoli group, that operates in the field of Lighting, MotorSport, Telecommunications and Audiovisual Systems which is a lighting provider to both The Singapore F1 Grand Prix and the upcoming -2021 e-Prix  in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, to develop the concept.

The new system enables circuit’s lighting systems to be fixed to current concrete barriers, reducing costs and the logistics of installing and integrating the two systems. This is achieved by attaching the lighting to the barrier using a stabilisation strut at the top of the concrete barrier, with a further plug at the base to increase stability.

Several crash tests were conducted following the initial design phase to establish how the lighting systems would behave in an incident scenario, with a car weighing one tonne impacting the barrier at 120kph in the first instance, with the lighting fixture positioned 12 meters away.

That test proved successful, with almost no movement to the lighting pole. As a result, a second test was conducted, this time with the pole moved closer to the impact zone to assess the difference. The result remained the same, with no major movement, demonstrating clearly that the lighting poles can be easily connected to Geobrugg's safety systems, reducing the need for investment into heavy infrastructure at night races. The intention is to use the system in non-spectator areas or areas with limited space to install other resource-heavy systems. All this, ultimately, makes night races more cost-effective and simpler to stage, and could open the door for more venues to explore the feasibility of staging events after dark in the future.

Jochen Braunwarth, Geobrugg's Director of Motorsport Solutions said: «Geobrugg's range of FIA-homologated debris fences have a 'plug in and play' philosophy at their heart, so to develop a new, lighting-friendly system to simplify the process of hosting night races is another positive step forward. It also links into another key element of our ethos, which is cost - effectiveness. Night races can be expensive, particularly on temporary venues such as street circuits, so by combining the costs of those two systems together, we could see an increased feasibility for these events to take place.»

Roberto Grilli, General Manager of DZ Engineering, said: «We're delighted with the system's performance during both crash tests, and it's been a great collaboration to combine our resources with Geobrugg to open up a new avenue of development in this area. I hope this means that other championships get to benefit from spectacular night races that appeal to fans worldwide.»

Pictures for download

For further info, contact: Jochen Braunwarth, motorsport@geobrugg.com

About Geobrugg AG
Geobrugg AG develops and manufactures protection systems made of high-tensile steel wire. These systems protect against natural hazards such as rockfall, landslides, debris flow, and avalanches. They ensure safety in mining and tunneling, and on motorsport circuits to stop impacts from falling or flying objects. Geobrugg has 340 specialists worldwide, production facilities on five continents, as well as branches and partners in over 50 countries.

About DZ Engineering SRL
DZ Engineering SRL is a member company of the Dino Zoli Group, an industry-leading brand operating in the fields of lighting, motor sport, telecommunications and audiovisual systems. DZ is the official lighting provider to both the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix and the upcoming ePrix in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.