Gone are the days when an accident happened the rescuers had to drag injured drivers bodily over the side of a rescue boat. This process was slow, and more importantly, since many of the injuries are to the spinal column, the rescue could prove worse than the actual accident.

The team designed the ideal rescue craft. It had to be fast, we need to get to the scene of an accident within seconds, and there had to be some way of getting the injured person aboard safely. The solution was a craft where the bow ramp drops. If a serious injury is suspected the boat is partially flooded, allowing the driver to effectively drive under the casualty. The injured person is then floated over the ramp into the boat and straight onto a stretcher. Accelerating away makes the boat automatically self-bail.

The biggest concern of racing drivers is that the will be trapped in their boat after an accident, then either drowning or suffering brain damage. The safety cell has reduced horrific injuries when drivers are catapulted out of their craft, but increased the fear of being trapped under water.

All Osprey members are qualified sub-aqua drivers and carry equipment to cut drivers free from their wreckage. They are also trained in first aid, under the supervision of the team Doctor, Dr Ian Wilson. Four minutes under water can mean brain damage, but the team guarantees to be at an accident within thirty seconds.