By Jonathan Ingram

The honor of inventing motor racing’s first head restraint belongs to the late Dr. Robert Hubbard, who was a professor of biomechanical engineering at Michigan State. But Jim Downing, his brother-in-law, played a critical role in the creation of the HANS.

Concerned about safety early in the 1980s, Downing began asking, “Why can’t something be done about head injuries?” Because of his background in occupant safety in the auto industry, Hubbard, who was more like a brother than an in-law, was well-positioned to respond.

Starting with a handmade version fashioned from duct tape and cardboard on his kitchen table, Hubbard built a fiberglass prototype that he and Downing dubbed a Head And Neck Support, or HANS. They were confident it would help prevent a head injury to Downing and save other lives. But it took Hubbard and Downing nearly two decades to gain acceptance for their device, which eventually saved thousands of lives around the world. 

A five-time IMSA champion, in 1980, Downing had a heavy crash on board a Mazda RX-7 at Mosport Park in Canada, which destroyed the back half of the car. He realized he might not have survived a frontal impact. The following year, fellow IMSA competitor Patrick Jacquemart was killed by a basilar skull fracture in a frontal crash during a test at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Downing realized, once again, that it might have been his own funeral and sought his brother-in-law’s help.

Hubbard was already familiar with the criteria for head injuries. When General Motors began using crash test dummies in the 1960s, it was Hubbard who designed the dummy’s head.  Once satisfied with his head restraint held in place by a shoulder harness, Hubbard then introduced another new safety concept by sled testing the HANS to confirm it would prevent fatal injuries by reducing neck tension in a crash.

The inaugural Model I devices included side tethers held in place by a large wraparound collar. Downing wore one for the first time in competition at Daytona International Speedway in November of 1986.

Finished in white gelcoat, it was sarcastically dubbed by other racers a “Cinderella Collar.” Undeterred, Downing wore a black carbon fiber version for 10 years, which included a class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans piloting one of his Kudzu prototypes.

But the Model I sold sporadically, and Hubbard recognized the size of his device was preventing acceptance by racers. It was not until the late 1990s that Mercedes-Benz helped fund the development of a two-tether HANS, resulting in a downsized “frontal” head restraint.

Unfortunately, it took a series of deaths from basilar skull fractures in Formula 1, IndyCar and NASCAR, including Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s fatality on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, before major sanctioning bodies recognized the need to mandate the now-familiar two-tether HANS. 

The mandates eventually led to universal acceptance of the HANS Device around the world.Car and Driver magazine called it the greatest safety invention since the seatbelt. Not only did the HANS save lives, it helped save the sport, becoming a key link in a new era of racing safety.

Ingram, the author of eight racing books, has written about motorsports for more than four decades. His book CRASH! chronicles the history of the HANS Device and includes a definitive account of Dale Earnhardt’s fatal crash in the 2001 Daytona 500.