GM Racing Pioneer Award To Hulman/George Family

FOR RELEASE: December 2, 2002

GM Recognizes Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Auto Racing Safety Leadership

Award presented at SAE Exposition

Indianapolis -GM presented its prestigious GM Racing Pioneer Award to the Hulman/George family and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the 2002 SAE Motorsports Engineering Conference and Exposition in Indianapolis. This is the first time the award has been presented to anyone outside General Motors.

IMS continuously leads in auto racing safety
"There can be no more appropriate recipient of the GM Racing Pioneer Award than the Hulman-George family. All of those who have been associated with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's long history of pioneering leadership in the advancement of auto racing safety are part of a distinguished group," said Steve Shannon, Executive Director of GM Racing.

"Some of the innovations pioneered by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway include the installation of the first red and yellow warning lights, the first mandatory wearing of helmets, the first mandatory fire-retardant driver suits and car roll bars, and the first application of crash data recorders. And again just this past year, IMS initiated the first application of the PEDS Barrier or 'soft wall'.

"In short, no entity has done more to further the cause of auto racing safety than the Hulman-George family and Indianapolis Motor Speedway," continued Shannon.

GM places priority on safety
GM has been a longtime pioneer in automotive safety. From the industry's first electric headlights to the first shatter-resistant windshield glass, and from the first energy-absorbing steering column to the first child restraint system, GM has always placed a priority on safety.

This commitment to safety doesn't stop when it comes to auto racing. First on GM Racing's goals and objectives is: All participants - drivers, crew and spectators - must be protected during the race weekend by the best practices and equipment available.

GM develops, disseminates and recognizes safety innovations
GM's policy on auto racing safety has been to develop, disseminate and recognize safety innovations. GM Racing is the internal GM organization that has engineering and marketing responsibility for all corporate motorsport activities.

GM actively develops new engineering solutions that improve racing safety. For example, in Indy car racing, GM provided the first crash recorders and developed the rear crash attenuator and improved head padding for which Dr. John Melvin and John Pierce were awarded the prestigious Schwitzer Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers. GM has also been a leader in supporting head and neck restraint testing with Dr. Melvin to develop the HANS device which is now becoming widely used in all forms of racing. The GM Racing ASA safety race car incorporated many innovations that are now common practice.

GM Racing's engineers work with everyone from professionals to amateurs to disseminate auto racing safety information and ensure that they have - and understand - the data and guidelines to support the installation of safety equipment.

"Leaders in the development or application of auto racing safety improvements deserve recognition. The GM Racing Pioneer Award is GM's premier honor to recognize leadership and, this year, it was awarded specifically to recognize a world leader in race safety," said Shannon.

GM is a leader in motorsport safety
General Motors initiated a formal auto racing safety program in 1991. GM Racing continues this legacy of leadership by working with competitors, engineers, manufacturers and sanctioning organizations to make auto racing safer.