R.I.P. Dan Wheldon

Indy 500 winner died earlier today in a huge, fiery wreck in Las Vegas.

wreck

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.

Damn open wheelers.

You hear specifics, MrV? I seen the crash and heard of his death, but did they say how? It's kind of hard to see, but it looks like he went into the wall upside down and striking it cockpit top first, unless that was a different car. Quite a mess, hard to tell it apart....

Indy has no business on 1.5 mile, high banked ovals.

He was a Brit, I didn't know that.

Quote: Face

Damn open wheelers.

You hear specifics, MrV? I seen the crash and heard of his death, but did they say how? It's kind of hard to see, but it looks like he went into the wall upside down and striking it cockpit top first, unless that was a different car.

Note the airbox and roll bar have been stripped; note also the angle of his head.

Egad.

Quote: MrV

Note the airbox and roll bar have been stripped; note also the angle of his head.

Egad.

Your pic didn't load for me. In any case, I assume it was indeed a cockpit-first wall slam. Christ.

SK's and Tour Mods are the only open wheelers fit for high banks. If IRL wants circle trackin', keep it on Indy, Phoenix, Michigan, etc, somewhere they got room to move. This is a damned shame, and I hope they change their venues.

May his life have meaning.

"I feel no pity, only envy, for he assumed risk, and died in love"

Quote: Face

"I feel no pity, only envy, for he assumed risk, and died in love"

Is that a Hermann Hesse quote? If not, who said it.

Quote: EvenBob

Is that a Hermann Hesse quote? If not, who said it.

No. I... hehe. Dunno why I feel embarassed :/

I was having a smoke and thinking about this, and all the other men who I've seen die racing. I kinda drifted off in thought and... it just came to me. Not to romanticize death, but... I dunno, it's just how I feel. A part of me wishes we could all be so lucky... if you take my meaning.

Something about auto racing makes me weird in the head. I can't really explain it. So the quote was mine, feel free to steal it ;)

Quote:

" Indy has no business on 1.5 mile, high banked ovals."

No truer words have ever been spoken about open-wheel racing. That track, like so many others are built for chase n bump NASCAR racing.
Nope, no more hi-banked short tracks. A field of 34 and 4-wide racing (See MrV's link above for proof) is stupid, moreso than cheating death.
Pack'em in like Sardines on a short track, Bristol and Dover NASCAR fans know from this.
"Isn't it wonderful???", said Vincent Price, like only he can say it.

And unfortunately, what happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas.

I am saddened greatly for Dan's young family, and the sport of open-wheel racing where bold men face the elements, and a slight touch of cars can be ruinous for both parties.

N&B

Yup, NandB. I'm more "old school" in my racing desires and resist a lot of the changes in racing (I hate the changes to Spa, Monza, La Sarthe, for example) but even I can plainly see that IRL has their head up their rears. Loving nearly every form of motorsport from NASCAR to F1 to BTTC to SCCA to WRC, I can't find a point to IRL's 1.5 high banked madness. I haven't watched Indy since the days of A.J. Foyt and Bobby Rahal in protest.

I hate to say it, but NASCAR's superspeedway bullshit is next. Thanks all the gods they got rid of the wing, but it's not enough. Someone is going to pull an Edwards, only actually put it in the grandstand if they don't change things, and soon.

I heard they were running 10 cars more than they often have, creating even more turbulence.

Crowding the track in high speed ovals is something they could do without in these type of cars.