INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — While at the Indianapolis 500, many fans might not consider all the work that goes into keeping the event safe.
Zach Horrall, digital marketing manager at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, spoke with WRTV Friday about all the ways that the speedway made sure race fans stayed safe.
“On Indy 500 race day, the racetrack is, population-wise, the size of Cincinnati, or St. Louis, or Orlando. So the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a large city on race day, and there’s a lot of work that has to go into maintaining that, keeping that safe,” Horrall said.
This year, IMS used a robotic dog to help keep the track safe. Horrall said that the robot can search bags, use night vision, and fit into spaces that people cannot.
“The dog has the flexibility for our team to be able to really attach anything we want to it. It’s like a person that can do anything that we really want it to be able to do. Going into those tunnels, maybe detecting things in crowds that we’re not able to get to, or being on a lower level, going a little bit undetected.”
But the robotic dog can’t do everything. The IMS safety team keeps its eye on many things during the Month of May.
With the rising popularity of drones, IMS needs to take them into account with safety.
“The air as a whole is a whole other aspect to the safety and security. The big one is drone detection. We have the ability to be able to find drones in the air. It’s not always someone that’s looking to do harm, though. Hobbyists are becoming more and more prominent,” said Horrall.
Horrall says that the airspace above the speedway is restricted on race day, meaning that no drone is allowed to be flown over the speedway.
Air quality is another big factor of safety for IMS. Horrall said that their team takes air quality tests during and after the race. The purpose of these tests is to see if there are any abnormalities in air quality during the race; the team makes note of these and makes changes for next year’s race.
