The Australian Institute for Motor Sport Safety (AIMSS), a not-for-profit organisation, was established by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) in 2007 and is the peak body for motor sport safety and related research in Australia.

AIMSS works in conjunction with CAMS in an advisory role and is a research partner of  the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) Institute for Motor Sport Safety and Sustainability to develop safety through research, education and industry liaison.

As a result of its partnership status with the FIA Institute, AIMSS works to disseminate safety breakthroughs, news and information from around the world to the Australian motor sport community.

Contributions to AIMSS helps keep Australia at the forefront of motor sport safety – benefiting CAMS members and licence holders at all levels.

Mission statement

Motor Sport will always be one of the greatest and most exciting challenges for driver and machine. Reducing the risk of death and injury will not make it less so. In today’s society, not to manage this risk in a responsible manner is socially unacceptable and may, as it was 50 years ago, be a threat to the long term future of motor sport.

The mission of the Australian Institute for Motor Sport Safety is to be;

The Institute founded by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) to;

• Promote improvements in motor sport safety.
  
• Coordinate safety related programs of research and education and other safety initiatives.
  
• Promote the relationship between motor sport and road safety.
  
• Make representation to Government and other organisations on motor sport safety.
  
• The driving force for the improvement of safety in motor sport in Australia.
  

Recognised by Government for its expertise in motor sport safety.

AIMSS Objectives

• Lead the development of motor sport safety through research, education and industry liaison.
• Oversee non regulatory activities affecting motor sport safety in Australia including the protection of participants, officials and the public
• Act in conjunction with CAMS and the FIA.
• To advise Federal and State Governments on best practice in motor sport safety
• Provide a centre of excellence for specific areas of expertise in motor sport safety procedures that have been developed in Australia.
• Provide AIMSS members with a range of motorsport safety benefits.
• As a conduit for the members of AIMSS, including suppliers to the motor sport industry, to have access to CAMS services relevant to safety in motor sport.
• Investigate motor sport incidents in order to identify causal factors and outcomes, report to AIMSS members, the Board of CAMS and public authorities as appropriate.
• Collect and analyse statistic relevant to motor sport safety.
• Monitor safety trends and develop a program to counter any perception in the community that risks in motor sport are high compared to other sports, and respond areas of public concern.
• Develop and implement innovated AIMSS research and educational programs on safety procedure, practices and technologies and raise funds for such programs.
• Support the training of motor sport officials, such as rally, off road, circuit and race personnel in safety procedures and the use of equipment.
• Monitor the progress of FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety programs and manage the implementation of relevant results of these programs in Australian Motor Sport.
• Make representations to CAMS, where appropriate, that the results of safety research projects may be applied to the regulations of Australian motor sport.
• Promote public road safety in Australia.

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AIMSS Board of Directors

Chairman – Garry Connelly AM

Garry Connelly AM represents CAMS at the FIA, is a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, Deputy President of the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety and Sustainability, director of the Global Institute for Motor Sport Safety and one of the Permanent Chairmen of Stewards for Formula One. He is a former rally competitor and event organiser, having been Chairman of the Organising Committee of Rally Australia for many years.

Director – Dr Michelle Gatton

Dr Michelle Gatton is a senior academic with more than 15 years’ experience in health research, and expertise in research design and data analysis. She is an experienced rally organiser with international experience and past rally competitor. Dr Gatton received the inaugural FIA Outstanding Senior Official of the Season Award in 2011.

Director – Dr Matthew MacPartlin

Dr Matthew MacPartlin is a Critical Care Physician (Emergency medicine and Intensive care medicine) in NSW. A member of CAMS National Medical Advisory Council since 2012, Dr MacPartlin is the current Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Rally Australia, Assistant Chief Medical Officer for the Formula 1 Grand Prix, Chief Medical Assessor for Speedway Australia and serves as an editorial board member for FIA AUTO+Medical publication.

Director – Sam Michael

Sam Michael is a former Sporting Director of McLaren Formula One Team and Technical Director of Williams Formula One, with over 25 years of experience in motor racing. A UNSW graduate in Mechanical Engineering, his work is now in automation and predictive analytics.

Director – Dr Michael Myers OAM

Dr Michael Myers OAM is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Re-Engineering Australia Foundation and President of Engineers Australia – Sydney. A Mechanical Engineer with 30 years’ experience implementing engineering design technologies into major manufacturers around the world including BOEING, Toyota, Ford, Proton & Mitsubishi. Michael established the F1 in Schools program in Australia and is one of Australia’s 100 most influential Engineers.

Director – Andrew Papadopoulos

Andrew Papadopoulos is the President of CAMS, is a graduate of Macquarie University in Economics and in Business and Marketing in the United Kingdom. He has been involved in motor sport as a competitor and administrator for more than 30 years. Andrew is a member of the FIA Single Seater Commission.

Director – David Stuart

David Stuart is the current Division Manager – Safety and Race Operations for CAMS, with over 25 years’ experience in the industry. David holds an engineering degree and mechanical engineer qualifications and spent 15 years as an Engineer and in Team Management of Supercars Championship teams covering all technical aspects. David has acted as race engineer for the likes of Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Davison, Jason Bright, Will Davison and Dick Johnson Racing.

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AIMSS Research Advisory Group

Chairman - Dr Michael Henderson MA, MB, BCH

Dr Michael Henderson is a doctor of medicine and a graduate of Cambridge University and St Thomas’ Hospital, London. He has spent his entire professional life in aviation, road and motor sport safety research and administration.

He was author in 1968 of the seminal book “Motor Racing in Safety” and was one of the designers of the pioneering race safety concept car, the Pininfarina/Ferrari Sigma Grand Prix. He was the originator of the six-point race harness and a pioneer in the use of seat belts in racing cars.

In 2007 Dr Henderson was elected a Fellow of the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety and Sustainability.

Dr Henderson began circuit racing in Europe in 1960, and has competed since then at national and international level in a wide variety of formula, sports and sedan cars. He still races successfully in one of his significant historic formula and sports racing cars and is an acknowledged expert on the history of safety developments in motor sport. He has lived in Sydney, Australia, since 1968.

He is a past Director of Traffic Safety in New South Wales and established Crashlab, the first government road crash research unit and test laboratory in Australia. He was Chairman of the Australian Government’s Advisory Committee on Road Trauma, and is the author of around 100 research papers on road safety and an award-winning book on the analysis and perception of risk.

In addition to his position as a Fellow of the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety, Dr Henderson is also a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM), and the Australasian College of Road Safety.

In 2004 he was awarded Life Membership of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS).

In 2007 Dr Henderson became the inaugural Chairman of the Australian Institute for Motor Sport Safety, and is currently leading its expanding research and educational activities.

Advisor - Tony Caldersmith Dip Eng (Aero)

Tony Caldersmith completed an aeronautical engineering apprenticeship with Qantas, joined Lotus Cars in England where, amongst other roles, he started Lotus’ first Service Department, was base co-ordinator for Team Lotus and created an engine shop for the Elite production division.

He moved on to manage Carrier Air Conditioning’s Mechanical Services and Business Development operations and later joined Applied Power Australia Ltd as manager of their Enerpac industrial hydraulics business. He moved to the US as Vice President of Sales and Marketing and was subsequently MD of Applied Power Australia and New Zealand.

Tony’s motor sport involvement started with a Riley 9, then a Lotus Six, Seven, 12 and 18, the Anderson Holden, Mildren Cooper, Triumph Spitfire, Gemini Mk2 FJ, Elva Courier, and Amilcar Ford.

He managed a Formula Ford team in the 1970s and also designed, built and raced the Alton AR1 and AR2.

Tony was appointed a CAMS Historic Eligibility Officer in 1978 and from 1995  has been the first and only Chairman of the Historic Eligibility Committee. He has been a member of the Historic Committee and then Historic Commission since 1982.

Over recent years, Tony has developed a range of safety programs directly related to historic motor sport and, in 2001 Tony received a CAMS Service Award.

Advisor - Robert Chadwick BEng (Mech) Hons, GradDipMgt, MSAE-E

Robert Chadwick is a senior engineering manager in the automotive industry with over 20 years’ experience.

After a short period in the gases  industry, Robert specialised in the automotive industry with an initial period in the automotive component industry followed by a move to Mitsubishi Motors Australia for the majority of his career. His roles at Mitsubishi have predominantly been involved with design and development within the R&D Division.

Robert’s motor sport involvement started during the Formula 5000 era and has covered FVee, FFord, Rally, Improved Production and GT Production. His greatest personal success was as lead driver and owner of a team in GT Production with a class win in 2001 at the GT Production car endurance event at Bathurst.

Professionally, Robert has had a long involvement with motor sport being the engineer responsible for the development of the ACL Holden V6 engine that powered Formula Holden and supplier of specialised engine componentry to the Ford Sierra touring cars. He continues today as the technical support for the Ralliart brand in Australia.

Robert has been involved with CAMS over many years as a competitor, official and has been a member of the National Technical Committee since 1990.

For the past five years, he has been Clerk of Course for Formula SAE Australasia, the annual tertiary engineering challenge. He also sits on the international FSAE rules committee.

Advisor - Dr Tom Gibson BE, MSC, PHD, CPENG

Dr Tom Gibson is the founder and principal engineer of Human Impact Engineering, a company which specialises in injury prevention and protective systems design and testing.

Coming from a background in automotive design and development, he has over 30 years of experience in vehicle  engineering and crash investigation, the biomechanics of impact injury causation and its mitigation.

Dr Gibson has worked both in Australia and North America in the development of mechanical (dummy) and computer simulation (human body modelling) of impact injury causation and the design of safety systems.

This has included the development of tests and test methodologies to assist in the design and evaluation of such systems.

Dr Gibson provides technical advice to standard associations internationally in the areas of personal protection, including helmets and neck injuries.

Advisor - Richard Hollway BEng (Mech) Hons

Richard Hollway is currently Chief Engineer for the Garry Rogers Motorsport Supercar Racing Team.

He has been responsible for homologation of new model Holden road vehicles for competition in V8 Supercar racing since 1998. The homologation process includes specification of the base bodyshell and aerodynamic components.

Richard has extensive experience in V8 Supercar roll cage design covering the last five generation Holden Racing Team racecars from 1998 to 2006 and has been a member of the TEGA Technical Advisory Panel since 2000 which reviews proposed changes to the technical regulations for the V8 Supercar category including safety items.

Prior to this appointment Richard worked as Race Engineer for Audi-sport Australia (1995-96) after being a Project Engineer with Nissan (1988-90) and Holden Special Vehicles (1991– 1994).

Late in 2006 Richard was also nominated by CAMS for the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety Closed Car Group and he provides expertise on this area to the Australian Institute for Motor Sport Safety.

Advisor - Professor Rod Troutbeck BEng (Civil), MENGSCI, PHD, FIEAUST, MITE(US)

Professor Rod Troutbeck is a principal of Troutbeck & Associates, an Adjunct Chief Scientist at ARRB group and an Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety-Queensland (CARRS-Q).

He was a Professor of Civil Engineering at QUT and specialised in traffic management, intelligent transport systems, vision and driving and road safety and road safety barriers for 12 years and Head of Civil Engineering at QUT between 1994 and 2004.

Awarded a number of research projects for the performance of arterial roads, freeways, roundabouts and road safety, he has completed research for the Australian Research Council and until recently was Chairman of the Australian Logistics Council group looking at education and training, research and health and safety.

Professor Troutbeck chairs the Standards Australia Committees on Road Safety Barriers and Risk Management in Motor Sport.

He was previously Chairman of the CAMS National Track Safety Committee for 15 years and continues as a member advising the NTSC on track design issues.

Director - Professor Jack McLean FTSE, BE, ME (ADELAIDE), MSC, PHD (HARVARD)

Jack McLean is a Professorial Research Fellow in the Centre for Automotive Safety Research at the University of Adelaide, where he was the Director for 34 years.

A mechanical engineer with a doctorate in epidemiology he has established and directed research in brain injury biomechanics in fatal road crashes and an ongoing program of at-scene crash investigation, among other research programs.

A Past President of the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety, he is also a member of the International Research Council on the Biomechanics of Impact.

In decades past Jack has held Auto Cycle Council of Australia and CAMS competition licences, finishing third of 20 starters in an overnight trial in the fifth XK120 ever built. More recently he has been the mechanic for one of his sons who came fourth in his class in an AIDKA Australian Championship for dirt karts.