IndyCar's answer to increasing driver head protection made its test debut on Thursday at the ISM Raceway, with the 'Windscreen' fitted to Scott Dixon's #9 car.
The windscreen has been under development for nearly two years and is made from the same material used in the production of fighter jet canopies and is therefore incredibly strong and lightweight.
The series has worked with a number of manufacturers to ensure issues such as glare and distortion aren't an issue and Dixon gave a positive review of the device following his first run with it fitted.
“There’s no game-stoppers. It’s a little bit different looking through something that’s so thick, but I thought it would be worse with distortion but there was nothing like that. We’ll run it a little bit later to see what it’s like as the sun is setting, and then again at night.
“The weirdest thing is how quiet it is. You have no buffeting, the car feels very smooth, it feels like you’re in a luxury well-damped car."
However there was one issue Dixon noted that needed addressing: "We need some cooling, just because you get no airflow through the car. Kudos to [IndyCar and PPG], but there’s definitely things that we can improve on and make better."
Formula 1 tested a similar device dubbed the Aeroscreen and then the Shield, however after one trial run Sebastian Vettel complained of dizzyness because of the distortion. That didn't seem to be an issue for Dixon during his run of the windscreen.
"It does feel different. You’re looking through quite a substantial amount of material and it just takes a while for your eyes to adjust. The longer I ran, the more I adapted to it. Your brain and eyes just need to catch up with it."
