Longtime IMSA team Riley Motorsports has redirected the efforts of its technology company to join in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based in Mooresville, North Carolina and founded by Bill Riley and his father Bob, Riley Technologies has begun working toward manufacturing Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) masks. The Riley group was referred by Composite Resources, the parent company of another IMSA team, CORE autosport to build masks for a Carolina hospital.
“Being that we are in the fast-paced, R&D and motorsports circle, we are used to designing and building products very, very quickly that do a really good job for the people that are going to use them,” said Christian Rushforth, Riley Technologies Senior Designer. “We went straight to work on a prototype.”
Rushforth leads the project and oversees the mask design; 89-year-old Bob Riley is designing the box that holds the fan, filter, battery and motor; and engineer Tyler Hook oversees the electrical components.
“We can do much of the work in-house, but we are also trying to find parts that are readily available,” Rushforth said. “Each mask is connected to a box that rides on the hip of the user. Inside is a filter and motorized fan, and none of those exact parts currently exist or are available. So, what we are doing is searching to find off-the-shelf parts from within our industry, designing our own filters, designing the housing box and then the vent pipe that extends from the box to the back of the mask.”
Initial production was expected to be 250-500 masks, with the possibility of more should the demand continue or rise. Regardless, Riley Technologies is ready to answer the call.
“It’s really a great honor that our motorsports background and engineering skills can be used on a project like this,” said Christian Rushforth, Riley Technologies Senior Designer. “Rather than just watching and sitting on the sidelines we are actually involved right in the middle of this to develop a new product to keep the medical doctors and nurses safe. It is truly an honor.”
Riley Motorsports competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and for the first time in 2020, the IMSA Prototype Challenge.