Some days you get news that just floors you. We got that news today with the passing of Dan Wheldon, first from social network feeds from friends at the race, then on the news, or what passes as news these days. Racing is seemingly getting so safe that we are not used to hearing things like this in the motorsports community. This release we got from HPD sums it up best. Some days you just don’t feel like writing. Godspeed Dan. MK
Dan Wheldon Fatally Injured at Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (October 16) — Sunday’s season-ending IZOD IndyCar Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was cancelled after a multi-car crash on Lap 11 resulted in fatal injuries for two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon.
Wheldon was one of 15 drivers involved in the collision, which took place in Turn Two, after relatively minor contact between two cars set off a large, chain-reaction crash. Running in the middle of the field, Wheldon’s car went airborne before making heavy impact with the retaining wall and catch fencing. He was airlifted to University Medical Center, where he succumbed from his injuries.
Wheldon was a mainstay of the Honda IndyCar program from his debut in 2003 with Andretti Green Racing. In 134 IndyCar race starts, he won 16 times, and recorded 93 top-10 results. Wheldon won the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in 2005, going on to win the series championship that year, and won the ‘500’ again earlier this year. He also scored Honda’s first IndyCar victories at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan, winning at the Honda-owned circuit in 2004 and again in 2005.
In addition to his parents and siblings, Wheldon is survived by his wife, Susie, and sons Sebastian and Oliver.
Erik Berkman (President, Honda Performance Development) on the loss of Dan Wheldon
“For everyone in the Honda family, this is a day of tragedy and incalcuable loss. For us, Dan was more than a driver, he was a member of the Honda family. But most of all, our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, wife Susie and two young sons. Dan had a passion for motorsports and a wonderful personality that made him a friend to everyone in the racing community. His talent and dedication were an inspiration to us all. We will miss him terribly, and everyone at Honda extends our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and fans across the world.”
