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Geobrugg is testing motorsport fences since 2008. Homologated in 2018.

New FIA Standard: Geobrugg Motorsport Fences first to be homologated

31 Ianuarie 2019

FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) governing body of the motorsport introduced a new standard with performance criteria. The first homologated products according to this standard are the Geobrugg motorsport fences. Their Debris Fence and their Mobile Debris Fence meet the requirements of FIA Standard 3502-2018 debris fence.

With the new FIA Standard 3502-2018 Debris Fences for the first time in the history of motorsport, barriers, as well as debris fences, are subject to stringent testing procedures defined by the FIA. This allows to compare solutions and paves the way for future developments.

Successfully homologated
Swiss company Geobrugg was the first to conduct 1:1 crash tests with their fences in 2008. After ten years of research and product improvement Geobrugg, today is the first and only FIA homologated debris fence supplier in the market. Both, permanent debris fence and mobile debris fence solutions have successfully passed all test criteria set by the FIA standard.

The 1:1 field tests have been conducted under the supervision of the FIA. The new FIA standard 3502-2018 debris fences allowed to retest Geobrugg solutions for the requirements of the standard. The following solutions have been retested and developed:

-    Geobrugg debris fence (DF350
-    Geobrugg mobile debris fence 1st generation (mDF350)
-    Geobrugg mobile debris fence 2nd generation (mDF350-2)

All tested solutions are now homologated according to the FIA Standard 3502-2018 debris fences.

Protect drivers, spectators, and track personnel
Jochen Braunwarth, Director of Motorsport Solutions at Geobrugg, proudly states: «We hope that safety will develop in the future and that more and more circuits are deciding to use tested and homologated solutions. We are looking forward to further input from the motorsport community to increase safety along race circuits. Good race circuit design and well-maintained safety installations protect drivers, spectators and track personnel.»

Geobrugg existing systems
Already installed permanent debris fence solutions meet the standard. Existing mobile debris fence solutions can be upgraded with a small kit. With the upgrade kit full FIA homologation and labeling is possible.

2nd generation of mobile debris fence
The new FIA Standard and the retesting of the existing systems allowed not only their homologation but also the improvement of the mobile debris fences. The new energy absorbing element between the panels increases not only performance but also installation speed.

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New FIA Standards 3501-2017 and 3502-2018

In the past,  design guidelines existed for race circuits only. These guidelines had never been subject to testing, and the performance of these systems had not been proved. Also,  design guidelines were interpreted differently all over the world.

The introduction of FIA Standards 3501-2017 and 3502-2018 marks a shift from design  guidelines to performance-based solutions. Therefore future developments might look entirely different from today’s solutions. More important, race track operators will be able to compare barriers or debris fences and to select tested and FIA homologated systems.

With the introduction of the standard many circuits from Formula 1 to private country-clubs got confirmation that their choice of using a tested system is the correct one.

From 2019, newly built Grade 1 racetrack worldwide have to be equipped with homologated solutions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information, please get in touch with motorsport@geobrugg.com