Mark Miles Q&A: Don’t expect a closed cockpit in IndyCar

IndyCar chairman Mark Miles partook of some grouse and woodcock hunting in northern Wisconsin this weekend before re-embarking on a busy offseason for the open wheel series. There will be much to address when he returns from the brush, although Miles expressed confidence things are on target following one of the most successful, yet painful seasons in recent IndyCar history. Interest, as gauged by the convergent metrics of television ratings, attendance and internet impressions were proportionately better. But the death of driver Justin Wilson as a result of a head injury sustained at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 23, and a life-threatening injury to James Hinchcliffe in Indianapolis 500 practice were brutal reminders that open wheel racing is a dangerous endeavor.

Miles said an investigation into the Wilson crash revealed no need for immediate change and no conclusions not initially assumed after the 37-year-old was struck on the head by a high-flying piece of debris while running under caution.

“I think what the report provides is a lot of technical data about the energy involved and the forces and exactly what happened and all of that,” Miles told USA TODAY Sports. “I don’t think there were any revelations. I think for everybody, with or without the report, all of us hope to be able to make progress in finding ways to make the cockpit safer and to reduce the risks.

“So for example, there may be some short-term measures like tethering some parts that weren’t this year, but could be. That’s a work in progress. But I don’t want to give the sense that was because of anything revealed in the accident investigation. What you think happened, happened there.”

USA TODAY Sports spoke with Miles about offseason work.

Q: What will the job look like for the replacement for president of operations and competition Derrick Walker?

A: It will be a slightly revised job description. The position will be responsible for three areas which we currently call ‘technical,’ so that’s all the engineering, whether that’s aero or engine or all the rest, including car safety, as opposed to track safety. There are three people who report to this position, Will Phillips, who is the chief engineer and has all the engineering stuff under him; Brian Barnhart, who’s got competition — so that’s race control and track safety — and the third part is Vince Kremer, who’s got everything operations, getting the trucks there and all that. So that is the scope of it. It’s operations and competition, which is slightly narrowed. As I’ve gotten more involved, there are people that will report directly to me. There’s a legal function that has reported to Derrick that will report to me. The way I think most people perceive the job will remain unchanged. Our competition and our operations, our racing and our car, our technical rule-making will fall to this person.

Q: Have Honda and Chevrolet renewed their agreements yet to return as engine-providers?

A: No, but I think, in fact this week, we’re scheduling the time to go back to Detroit or them to come down here to see if we can get that one done. I just don’t think there’s any roadblock to getting those done.

Q: Is there daily impact for teams in not having them signed?

A: No. They’re all operating at speed, doing everything they would normally do to prepare for next season.

Q: The Justin Wilson accident report presented no pressing issues for safety improvement?

A: It reinforces the risks, I think, of the open cockpit and further energizes efforts in motor sport to try to reduce those risks.

Q: What’s the state of that energy currently?

A: I was in an hour-and-a-half conversation with outside people who are involved in aerospace and NASA, people who do things like provide cockpit cover for jet fighters. First of all, it should be known that Formula 1, for a very long time has been working on this and it’s fair to say they’ve had the lead. But (IndyCar safety consultant and Global Institute for Motorsports Safety member) Dr. Terry Trammell has really had all the information flowing from that work for a long time, so I think we’ve been totally plugged into it. So the call was very helpful in discussing with outside expert perspective all kinds of the hurdles. What are the things that you have to solve for? And that’s everything from what they call egress to heat. Obviously, the foundational point is whether there’s a solution which protects the driver and there may be no solution which provides complete protection if you get into a situation like in Las Vegas (where driver Dan Wheldon died as a result of head injuries when he stuck a catch fence support). But it’s how much more safe can you make it while proving for not having unintended consequences.

By the way, this is not necessarily about a completely closed cockpit. It could be more of an apron ... if something hits that, they do these deflection studies in these industries, and it’s possible (the object) could be propelled higher and further and an unintended consequence could be the risk of something going into the crowd. It doesn’t necessarily knock it down and put it on the track if something was coming at a car like that, especially something like a tire that has energy in it. What is clear to me is we’ve got an outside perspective as do our safety people, on the long list of things you have to address, if there’s a solution from things like I just mentioned, to how would we put it on the car, how would you affix something? I was very encouraged for that. These are really bright people who’ve addressed these problems and challenges for other applications and other industries and hopefully something meaningful can happen.

You’re not going to see a change to the car for next year in this regard just because I don’t think it’s possible.

Q: What’s IndyCar’s pace of progress on this?

A: I think IndyCar is very focused on engaging with outside expertise on doing what can be done. These are technical challenges and it’s hard to imagine that anything transformative will happen this year. At this point, I wouldn’t rule out 2017, but the research has to be done, the development has to be done to answer the questions as to what can be done by when.

Q: How disconcerting that two supposedly one-in-a-million crash scenarios befell drivers in the series within just a few months?

A: We are trying to be an organization that just doesn’t simply react to events on the track but is deliberate and focused and constantly looking to improve safety and I think we’ve got a track record of that, including some things that have been done to further improve the safety around the tub and other things. Racing just deals with the kind of accidents we’ve had and we’re doing that but it just keeps top of mind how important the efforts to increase safety are. And I think we are properly focused.