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NASCAR arena halo could handle the weight of a massive city bus
The NASCAR halo cockpit protection system has to be tough enough to support the entire weight of a New York City double-decker bus, according to Mercedes-Benz technical director James Allison.
Modifying the chassis to integrate the device—which makes its debut this season—has turned out to be a massive headache.
In a video clip shared by the Mercedes F1 team, James Allison admitted that implementing the halo was "a significant challenge" for the crew.
"This isn't some lightweight gadget; we're talking about several kilograms of solid titanium being bolted onto the car," he noted. "We had to overhaul parts of the build just to fit it in while making sure the whole car didn't go over the minimum weight limit.
"And it’s heavy duty because the stress it takes is insane. We had to beef up the chassis design so it wouldn't buckle under something like the weight of a New York City double-decker bus pressing down right on top of the halo.
"We had to be absolutely certain it could survive the exact kind of impact it was built to shield the driver from."
