RIP Dan Wheldon -- Indycar Season Finale in Vegas

Just saw this on local media; very sad loss for the motorsport community. Heard he left behind a wife and two children.

May he rest in peace and the incident be easy on his family and beloved ones.

 

RIP Dan

Tragedies like this are blessedly rare these days.
Wasn't always the case.

 

I might have posted it before here on Ferrarichat but I'm one of those people who think these open wheel cars have no business on an oval. A proper road course is dangerous enough for these drivers, I don't get a thrill watching them gamble their lives dicing it up on an oval.

 

I love IndyCars on the short ovals (of which few remain on the circuit) and of course at Indy; but the 1.5 mile NASCAR tracks are just Russian roulette. it's a miracle that we've avoided a day like this for so long.

 

This going to sound cruel, but it's reality: the folks doing this know the risks. You can't go racing unless you are willing to die or be maimed. I've got 3 friends in wheelchairs and several dead from racing. It is what makes it so addicting to some of us. The minute you start thinking about the consequences it's time to quit.

Terrible that he died but I suspect he'd prefer that over a chair for life.

Art

 

I tuned in literally the moment the accident happened. Terribly sad. I knew it was bad when it happened. I just had that feeling. RIP.

Mark

 

Thank you.

Yeah, I just saw the video of the crash...seeing what's left of his car go flying through the air was like taking a sucker punch to the stomach.

 

art, i understand. in the wera gnf in 1997 i was on the track when a guy got killed at turn 12, that was my last race. it shook me up...they always did but this one made me particularly sad.

 

Horrible tragedy. RIP Dan.

Wheldon won the Indy 500 earlier this year by passing the wrecked leader with one lap to go. He started from the back row today in Vegas and was going after the $5 million bonus.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZc_u2lfOeo[/ame]

My bet is the Indy Car is going to be getting a lot of negative attention for having 34 cars on the high speed 1.5 mile track as well as the big prize purse that some will point to as incentive for drivers to push harder than normal.

Colin Firth

 

They had in-car audio of his spotter as they rode with him and he was yelling RIGHT AWAY!

Sort of odd, as there was contact and debris high before the impact that spun Cunningham in front of the field. Cunningham alluded to it when he said Helio, Graham and Ryan were banging wheels ahead of him.

You could see it from Will Power's in-car. Some of the videos have Will's in-car continuing after he become airborne and after the first impact and fire, the right front wheel comes back at a vector to him... Awful footage...

 

Dammit...RIP Dan, I feel absolutely sick over it. Just all of the circumstances around it, my prayers for his family.

I agree that racers know the risks, and it's pretty obvious not all of these things happen on ovals. However, as a lifelong USAC / CART / Champ Car fan, I do NOT like these big ovals with these cars...it's just asking for trouble.

I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, but it's really time to take a look at these things and make the right choice. Same with NHRA (another thing I've been around my whole life) - slow the cars down. They were every bit as cool when they went 200 around Indy or 250 in the 1/4 mile.

Not suggesting a crash at 200 is going to be that much safer than one at a higher speed, but I feel like the limit is being pushed. Maybe it's just emotions over this, but it's tragic.

 

No flame from me, I quit going to IRL races because I was afraid watching them. Too fast. All we can hope is that DWs passing has the same effect on racing as did Dale Earnhardt Sr's.

He won this years Indy 500, he went out a hero.

 

IMO it's not the speed, it's the big packs. I think they need to pull all the 1.5 mile tracks off the circuit. they've been a problem from day 1.

the new car next year (which, ironically, Wheldon helped develop) will hopefully make things much safer, including lowering the chances of the big launches into the air like we saw today.

 

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95473

 

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95475

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95476


http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95477

 

thank you for posting ron.

 

RIP

 

He was way too young. RIP.

 

This is terrible, RIP Dan, I saw this a couple hours ago and absolutely sick to my stomach. Always enjoyed watching him race. May God Bless his family.

 

I am watching the replay right now as I couldn't watch it earlier today. I am also saddened to the point of tears.

Prayed tonight with my family for his family and his two young kids. We can say what we want about them knowingly taking risks, and it is clearly true, but it still sucks when we lose a guy like this...

It reminds me so much of the day it happened to Senna. I haven't been the same since. He was my childhood hero, but I digress.

RIP Dan, we will miss you.

MB

 

"That's racing."

What else can you say?

 

Racing is so safe today that you never expect anything like this.

In my heart, I wanted Dan to win this one and add this race's prize to his successes. I'd hoped that next season he got the full time ride he deserved. I'm very sad for his wife and children.

 

I can think of plenty. It starts with RIP, and ends with that my thoughts are with his friends and family. "That's racing" wasn't even remotely close to being one of them.

It's tragic regardless of the danger involved.

 

RIP

 

I say "That's racing." when I put a dent in my competitor's car or vice versa. Not for this.