Indy 300

[NorthernLights24]

Just saw this on the BBC Sport website...

 

Briton Dan Wheldon has been seriously hurt in a multiple-car accident at the Las Vegas Indy 300.

 

Buckinghamshire-born Wheldon, 33, who won the series in 2005, was taken to the nearby University Medical Center.

 

Fellow driver James Hinchcliffe said: "Everyone's thoughts are with Dan right now. I can't describe the scene on the track at the time.

 

"It's a whole new dimension, knowing Dan flew out of here in a helicopter."

 

The crash coming out of turn two on the 12th lap had left Townsend Bell's car upside down.

 

Leeds-born James Jakes, added: "There was a lot of moving around, people were moving around not holding their line and I saw a car hit outside of turn two."

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/15330202.stm

 

Fucking crazy scenes...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVu7iTf59SQ

 

Hope no one has either been killed or suffered life changing injuries.

[K-9]

Think he is dead now!!

 

Edit: Confirmed on ESPN

[paddy]

Bloody hell.

 

RIP

[Liam]

thats madness. You can see his car flying through the air and into the wall.

 

Horrific scenes. RIP

[fifered]

Unbelievable scene. Scary just how quickly all that went out of control and how little the drivers could do when it started.

[Big Man]

Horrible stuff. Rollerballesque viewing...

 

RIP

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/indycar/8830724/Dan-Wheldon-crash-tragedy-on-the-racetrack-proves-that-sport-is-no-game.html

[s1dnk]

Terrible accident, his car flies through the air and hits the fence cockpit first, he didn't stand a chance. He leaves behind a young family as well, tragic.

[OddJob]

All these motor sports are just crazy, far too dangerous and sadly another sportsmen is lost too young

 

R.I.P

[Bobby Connor]

Those Indy cars fair go up in flames easily! Am pretty sure I've never seen a modern F1 car light up like that.

 

Apparently the drivers where also saying the track was too short for the number of cars involved? Expect them to tighten up safety a lot after this incident, but can the Amercians build decent motors? Doubtful.

[Crossbow]

Those Indy cars fair go up in flames easily! Am pretty sure I've never seen a modern F1 car light up like that.

 

Apparently the drivers where also saying the track was too short for the number of cars involved? Expect them to tighten up safety a lot after this incident, but can the Amercians build decent motors? Doubtful.

 

Sadly in motorsport as in life we tend to learn from our mistakes - I'm sure regulations will get tightened up and either tracks modified or car numbers reduced.

 

Americans can build decwent cars and no doubt will increase driver saftey after this. It took the death of arguably the most gifted driver of his (or possibly) any generation for F1 to get its act together but open wheel/cockpit racing will always carry some inherent dangers.

 

I think Indy car fuel burns differently because of the nature of the actual fuel. At one stage one of the racing formulas had fuel where the flames were effectively invisible - not good.