A NEW ERA: THE STAND 21 FHR®
January 28, 2019, marks a new era for Stand 21 Racewear. After 18 years of a perfect collaboration with the inventors of the HANS device (for Head And Neck Support), racing driver Jim Downing and the late General Motors’ Professor of Biomechanics Robert Hubbard, through their company HDI and later with Simpson Race Products, the FHR, manufactured by Stand 21 will now be available for the first time in North America!
In the early 2000s and with help from Jim Downing and Bob Hubbard, Stand 21 Racewear developed the first generation of the FIA certified device. This frontal head restraint device (FHR) has become mandatory in Indycar, NASCAR, F1, DTM and many other racing series, where it has saved so far, many lives. The French company has directly enabled its implementation in Formula 1, DTM and Rally racing, as well as in many other racing series. The FIA required that at least three manufacturers must be involved in producing the device, and while Mercedes-Benz (in charge of selecting a European concern) chose Schroth, Downing chose Stand 21, and HDI kept manufacturing devices in the USA.
After this first generation, Stand 21 became independent from HDI and beginning in 2007, developed its own exclusive FHR models, evolved differently from those produced by the other two manufacturers, and which enticed the greatest champions of our sport to select and use them with 100% confidence, such as the Stand 21 “Ultimate” model, used by the majority of drivers in Formula 1 racing.
Stand 21 has now acquired full freedom to serve customers wishing to acquire its highly technological FHR models worldwide, including in the USCMA market (USCMA: United States, Canada and Mexico). The very competitive prices of the Stand 21 “Club” and “Club 3” FHR models have democratized this essential element of drivers safety. In 2019 the brand new Stand 21 FHR “Featherlight” (once again 100% designed and engineered by Stand 21) will become the lightest such device ever produced in the world, and will immediately find its way in Formula 1 racing. You may now discover the entire Stand 21 FHR line at your Stand 21 franchisee stores and at all Stand 21 FHR distributors and importers around the world.
Yves Morizot, President and Ceo of Stand 21
‘‘I'm very proud that Jim Downing and the late Doctor Bob Hubbard chose Stand 21 in the 1990s to be one of the two licensed designers / manufacturers of their invention, but that choice was not randomly selected. Because I have attended many ICMS medical conventions where we used to meet each other, and I also knew Jim’s racing history as he was a Stand 21 customer from head to toe (helmet, racing suit, underwear, gloves and boots), and that the unfortunate 1981 death at Mid-Ohio of his friend and racing teammate Patrick Jacquemart from a cervical fracture prompted his search for a solution to this crucial problem in motorsport.
My relationship with Jim and Bob went beyond simple business and I still remember the home-made ice cream prepared by Jim's wife, Connie, shared on his home’s patio in the suburbs of Atlanta, while discussing at length the evolution of motor racing and how to improve its enjoyment by the entire community. This extraordinary invention has now saved many lives in auto racing.”
In Memoriam
Bob Hubbard Passed Away on February 5th 2019
The passing of Dr. Hubbard, co-inventor of the HANS frontal restraint device, comes at a crossroad for this great invention. Finally, the whole world will share in the technology that has so far saved a vast number of racing-car drivers’ lives. Our condolences go out to Dr. Hubbard’s family and of course to his brother-in-law Jim Downing. He may rest in peace knowing that his efforts save lives all over the world today and into the future.