R.I.P. Dan Wheldon

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R.I.P. Dan...

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"Dan Weldon RIP. I have so many good memories of racing with Dan in the early 90s, a true fighter.
We've lost a legend in our sport but also a great guy."

- Jenson Button

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Dan Wheldon, left, and Jenson Button, right, chat during the Formula Ford Festival and World Cup, at Brands Hatch in 1998.

Article by DailyMail.co.uk
 
Robin.
This was a tragic accident and to leave 2 young children behind is especially saddening. Although I didn't really see much of his career (don't have satellite TV) his achievements are impressive and its great to see someone from across the pond taking to a very different type of motorsport.

In light of the accident there of course have been calls to improve the safety in Indycar highlighting that the cars are pretty much the same model as the were years and years ago unlike F1 cars which change drastically every year. They were due to replace the chassis with an all new much safer design in 2012, unfortunately it comes one race to late for Dan.

I really thought the days of death in motorsport were over at the end of the 90's yet it keeps happening from time to time and I guess whatever they do there will always be the risk when you get in the cockpit. I think fighter jet style canopies should be something to seriously consider for open wheel racing.

R.I.P Dan Wheldon

Robin.
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Pretty much this. I didn't really follow his racing in Indycar, but every now and then there would be a section on him in the paper detailing his victories and how he'd won these championships, which made me respect him quite a lot. I woke up today to read the paper and find out what had happened. I was shocked and immediately disheartened that such a talented driver had his life taken away from him like that. It's just a terrible way of going out and really sad when an inspirational figure to Motorsport endures a horrible crash in front of millions of people and his fellow drivers. I raise my glass to the man, for doing what he loved with no fear.

R.I.P Dan Wheldon
 
I really can't think what to say, I decided to watch the full race live last night (for some unknown reason) and I'm still left speechless about the events that unfolded. It was horrible.

All I can really say is rest in peace Dan, my thoughts are with, not only his family, but also those who worked with him across the years. If my Twitter feed is anything to go by then a lot of people cared dearly for him - and a lot of people have been effected by this tragic event.

This is by far the best article I've seen written on the incident, by Speed TV's very own Marshall Pruett - Link.

Rest in peace Dan.
 
Very, very sad. For the last 24 hours my thoughts have been with Dan Wheldon's friends and family, in particular his wife and young children.

I have been very fortunate, I have watched a lot of motorsport for nearly two decades and until yesterday had not witnessed a fatal accident. I just feel numb, and physically sick, when thinking about it.

I hope the time will come soon when I can just think back and celebrate his life, but at the moment I can't get that horrific image out of my head.
 
Off the Bit
Very, very sad. For the last 24 hours my thoughts have been with Dan Wheldon's friends and family, in particular his wife and young children.

I have been very fortunate, I have watched a lot of motorsport for nearly two decades and until yesterday had not witnessed a fatal accident. I just feel numb, and physically sick, when thinking about it.

I hope the time will come soon when I can just think back and celebrate his life, but at the moment I can't get that horrific image out of my head.
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Pretty much sums it up for me too. I posted earlier but, maybe as a father to a young family, I really feel bad for his wife and children. Terrible situation and looking at those photos of Dan and his child Masi_23 posted really bought a lump to my throat.
 
I've never followed the Indycar series, but it's always very sad to see anyone die in any form of sport :( R.I.P Dan Wheldon.
 
I don't understand why IZOD Indy would put all these ovals on the schedule. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a very fast track, just as fast as Daytona, but unlike Daytona, it's only a mile and a half long. And on top of this, they decided to put 34 cars on the track. That is just not a smart way to organize a race, it's a disaster waiting to happen. The drivers expected this and they knew the beginning of the race would be full of risky situations.
 
Cavallo Rosso
I don't understand why IZOD Indy would put all these ovals on the schedule. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a very fast track, just as fast as Daytona, but unlike Daytona, it's only a mile and a half long. And on top of this, they decided to put 34 cars on the track. That is just not a smart way to organize a race, it's a disaster waiting to happen. The drivers expected this and they knew the beginning of the race would be full of risky situations.
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Isn't that just racing, and life though? Shows how much passion we racing drivers have. Although the drivers knew it wasn't ideal, they decided, by racing, that it wasn't too big of a risk. Trust me, I'm sure Sam Schmidt gave him the choice of racing or not. The drivers were wrong. Very sadly wrong.

It's kind of difficult explaining what I mean, but that's the best that I could do at this moment.
 
Kamuifanboy
Isn't that just racing, and life though? Shows how much passion we racing drivers have. Although the drivers knew it wasn't ideal, they decided, by racing, that it wasn't too big of a risk. Trust me, I'm sure Sam Schmidt gave him the choice of racing or not. The drivers were wrong. Very sadly wrong.

It's kind of difficult explaining what I mean, but that's the best that I could do at this moment.
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This why it should not be the drivers that are expected to make such decisions....the series organisers themselves should have decided it wasn't a good idea. And after saying that..the drivers DID raise these concerns.

Everyone felt they knew the ultimate risk. The ultimate risk unfortunately one step beyond what everyone thought.

Lets not blame the drivers for driving anyway and "accept its racing" - did anyone on any forum raise concerns that someone might die? No they didn't. We don't watch racing accepting deaths may happen. This is not what it is about and anyone who tells you that needs their head checking.
 
@Kamuifanbky @BuddhaRock is Mark Dismore the guy that owns the kart shop right next to IRP!? I talked to him this year when I went to Indy
 
nitrorocks
@Kamuifanbky @BuddhaRock is Mark Dismore the guy that owns the kart shop right next to IRP!? I talked to him this year when I went to Indy
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No, Dismore owns Comet Kart Sales in Greenfield, Indiana. I'm not sure who owns the one out at ORP.
 
Some old man does. Sorry! Lol ORP. I made a tourist mistake. The kart ship is tiny, but right next to it is the best diecast shop in the world!
 
Apparently Wheldon had signed a multi-year deal with Andretti Autosport to replace Danica Patrick (who they should have kicked to the kerb years ago). The team was planning to annouce it after the Las Vegas race. It's just one more thing we're not going to get to see from Wheldon.
 
It's ... kind of an unrealistic proposition, but I'd like to see Indycar run a special event somewhere in England - maybe at Rockingham - called the "Dan Wheldon Invitational", run over 128 laps (one for every event Wheldon entered) with Indycar donating five million dollars to a charity of the winner's choice.
 
Well this is just tragic. I wasn't watching this race live and only found out about this just now. Having seen the death of Ayrton Senna and Shoya Tomizawa live and televised, I know how difficult it can be to see something like that. I'm still occasionally haunted by the image of Shoya's body spinning around, lifeless.

Hopefully the new chassis will help to improve the situation, but I agree that Dallara can't let development stand still. The chassis should evolve if improvements are needed for safety.

It's not a good idea to have cars travelling at those kinds of speeds with a five year old chassis design. It was also a bad idea to have so many cars on such a short track. The IRL wanted to have a fantastic season ender, instead, they had a tragic one. This could possibly be the end of big fields on short ovals. RIP Dan.
 
To add to the photo that was previously posted by Anthony Davidson, here is Dan fighing with Justin Wilson, Anthony Davidson and Jenson Button in karts:



MustangRyan
How were they going to pay him the $5M had he won Sunday?
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To quote someone on the autosport.com forum:
"There was never any $5mil in cash. The prize, if won, was coming from an insurance bond the sanction paid US$150,000 for. If no one wins the prize, the insurance company keeps the bond fee."

And to clarify, half of the 5mil would go to a lucky fan, so Dan wouldn't be recieving the entire 5mil.
 
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Such a tragedy. My dad and Dan were very good friends. I met Dan a few times and was friends with Susie. To hear about this, it just aches my heart. Dan was such an amazing man, so funny and charming. Susie was an amazing woman and didn't deserve this, neither did Oliver and Sebastian. From hearing all the comments about "we just have to go on." and "this has happened before, we have to move on." With Dan it's different, he was so amazing and had so much potiental. He was one of the best, we'll miss you D-Dan!!!!
 

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