Miss you Dan Wheldon

Thursday, 20 October 2011 20:58

Written by SurenF1

A motorsport fan who'd follow every bits of racing would never forget this week. It all started when i woke up on monday and found the saddest news that could possibly get in to my ears. I read Dan Wheldon was died in a horrific crash at the Las Vegas speedway. 15 car pile-up during lap13 in turn2 lead Wheldon air bourne and his car smashed on to the catch fence, he sustained severe head injuries and announced dead.

Wheldon was airlifted from the Las Vegas track at 1:19 p.m. local time Sunday and taken to University Medical Center, becoming the first IndyCar driver to die on the track since rookie Paul Dana was killed in practice on the morning of race day at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2006.

Wheldon, 33 was so good in Indy 500 event which he won twice including this year and 2005 ,he was runner-up twice there and he was also the 2005 series champion. The Briton's death shook the whole racing world. Sam schmidt could close his Indy car team following Dan's death "I'd by lying if I said I wasn't, but you've got to think about it," Schmidt, who was paralysed in an IndyCar crash at Walt Disney World Speedway in 2000, said.

The former F1 world champion Jody Scheckter wanted his son Thomas Scheckter to quit IndyCar after Las Vegas incident. Oval tracks in Indy racing is more dangerous than it appeared to be. Oppostions from all around the world referring to the safety standards of Indy when 30 cars run 3 wide side-by-side at 220MPH in a 1.5km straight high bank track which resulted in a fatality was enormous.

In a phone interview with the St. Petersburg Times last week, Wheldon spoke well of the 2012 car, which he had tested extensively and which he said was "30 percent safer" than the cars which IndyCar has used, with modifications, since 2003. The series was also a major part of developing the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barrier which Wheldon hit Sunday. Dan ran out of luck!!

It remembered me of Ayrton Senna's death at Imola, the last fatality in F1. Indy car series CEO Randy Bernard should take this issue seriously because they got new manufacturers and relatively a whole new car for 2012. After all we lost a great driver of our time, R.I.P Dan, u will always be remembered. 5 lap parade tribute was paved to Wheldon on the same day. Dallara's 2012 IndyCar chassis will be named in honour of Dan Wheldon, the Italian racing car constructor has confirmed.

Former FIA president Max Mosley said the governing body should look in to the possibility of cockpit canopies in Formula One, but that it "needs careful investigation". FIA will assist IndyCar in the investigation in to the crash that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon. Any findings could impact on Formula One, with the dangers of open cockpits highlighted in 2009 when Felipe Massa suffered serious injury after being struck by a loose spring from Barrichello's BrawnGP car during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Love you and miss you, goodbye Dan !!!!!

Comments

+1 #2 Senthilkumar Rajappa 2011-10-21 10:41

Great opening article!!!

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+1 #1 nancy ledger 2011-10-21 07:25

Great article! Dan will be missed. The ovals can be very tricky for open wheeled race cars and more caution should be used. The Indy cars raced one year in Charlotte to tragedy when an accident caused a tire to come off and go into the stands serioulsy hurting a young girl, whose wish was to see the race. Charlotte decided it was not safe for that type of car to avoid anymore injuries and potential deaths. Also Greg Moore died in the last Indy Car race of the season in California sometime in the 1990s. He was much like Dan, friendly and always smiling. I think all miss any driver lost, whether they were our favorite or not. When Greg Moore died he was about to race for Penske, Helio Castro-Neves took his place going on to many wins. When Dan died, he was about to race for Andretti racing in 2012 and would have been successful. Our thoughts and prayers must go out to the family. May he rest in peace.

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