Bollards on the Race Track – Designed to Break?

Racing events cause a natural buzz of excitement between racer and viewer alike. The thought of safety rarely crosses people’s minds. However, the high energy, speeding vehicles, and large crowds of people all add to the potential risks of the race, and several safety precautions have been laced into the race routine – many of which you might have missed.  

Besides helmets and crowd control barriers, there is also a specialised type of bollard out there on the racetrack. And contrary to most bollards stocked on the shelves at That’s My Spot, the bollards on racetracks are designed to break on impact!  

But why? 

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Why are Bollards on a Race Track Designed to Break?

Racing bollards inside the track are engineered to be incredibly lightweight, and they are built to break off at the base when hit or knocked by a moving vehicle. This allows the bollard to continue serving its purpose of increasing visibility, enforcing track rules, and separating the track from crew or viewers. If a driver were to knock the bollard with their car, the bollard would detach as designed, and penalties would ensue for the racer. This encourages the drivers to be more vigilant, and to stay further away from corners they may otherwise attempt to use as leverage. 

Ensuring Race Track Rule Compliance

Another important element of utilising bollards at racing events is on the track itself. Not only do the bollards protect the driver from getting too close to the crowds, they also enforce rule compliance. To ensure corners are not being cut, and drivers are all conforming to the same set of guidelines, bollards are placed in strategic rows. These are often seen along the corners and sides of the race track itself. 

Without bollards, drivers may unintentionally steer their cars onto sections of the track that are not designed for vehicles, increasing the danger for themselves and the spectators. 

That said, not all bollards on the race track are designed to break on impact. 

Yellow Bollards: Increasing Visibility on Sharp Corners

When it comes to keeping viewers and crew members safe from speeding cars, bright yellow bollards or similarly loud colours standout as a clear divide. These bollards are designed to be more secure, and to reduce impact should a car swerve too close to vulnerable members of the crowd. They are also designed to offer high visibility, which allows drivers to know where sharp corners are so they can manage their space and turning radius more appropriately. 
 
When bollards are placed correctly, they can encourage attentive driving even in the heart of the most fast-paced races. They can also be used at racing events to control other cars, such as those belonging to guests. The chaos of moving vehicles doesn’t start and end with the race cars after all, and proper parking management is often required at such busy events.  

At That’s My Spot, we’ve personally seen how our parking bollards offer security solutions. Whether it’s our collapsible bollards keeping the peace in parking lots, or our yellow bollards increasing visibility and dividing pedestrians and moving vehicles, each cleverly engineered bollard serves a unique purpose. 

If you have need of a bollard, rest assured there are years of background thought, testing and design that have gone in to ensuring the bollard we recommend you gets the job done! 

See our full range of parking bollards in our online shop.