The car of England's Dan Wheldon flies through the air in a horrific multi-car crash at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images
THE Gold Coast round of Australia's V8 Supercars championship this weekend, which was to feature an international grid of drivers, is in disarray after one of the competitors, Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, was killed in a shocking accident during the IndyCar finale in Las Vegas yesterday.Wheldon was due to travel to Australia this week with six other IndyCar drivers to take part in the Gold Coast 600, where Australia's V8 Supercar stars were to share their cars with a star-studded assembly of international drivers.
Wheldon, 33, a British driver who won the Indianapolis 500 for the second time in May, was slated to partner defending V8 Supercar champion James Courtney in his Toll HRT Holden.
Wheldon was killed in a fiery 320km/h, 15-car pile-up on the superfast Las Vegas track when his open-wheel racer was launched into the catch fencing on the 12th lap of the season's last race.
Announcing the cancellation of the race, the head of IndyCar, Randy Bernard, said Wheldon's injuries were "unsurvivable". Also injured in the smash was Australian Will Power, who was fighting rival Dario Franchitti for the championship and sustained a lower back injury. He has been ruled out of the Gold Coast race.
IndyCar points leader Franchitti was crowned 2011 champion after the race was stopped and the Scotsman wept openly in his cockpit as he prepared to lead the field in a five-lap tribute to the two-time Indy winner and former season champion.
Despite winning the Indianapolis 500 in May, it was only Wheldon's third race of the season after he was unable to secure a full-time drive in the US series.
He had spent much of the year testing a new IndyCar design that was aimed at increasing safety for drivers.
V8 Supercars executives were left scrambling yesterday to salvage the Gold Coast event with many of the IndyCar drivers expected to pull out.
Wheldon was meant to be joined on the grid by Australians Power and Ryan Briscoe, as well as other regular IndyCar competitors Tony Kanaan, Helio Castroneves, Alex Tagliani and Sebastien Bourdais.
V8 Supercars chairman Tony Cochrane said the sport's first concerns were for Wheldon's wife and two children and said that he would understand if any of the drivers, some of whom were close friends with the racer, chose not to compete. "Our foremost thoughts are with Dan's family and what we can do," Cochrane said. "There are six IRL drivers coming and we would totally understand if they did not wish to compete."
He said Wheldon's memory would be honoured at the Australian race.
Holden driver Courtney was devastated at the death of the man who was to share his car on the Gold Coast this weekend.
"I first met Dan when I moved to Europe in karting in the mid-1990s. We knew each other a long time and considered ourselves friends," Courtney said.
Source;
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/death-of-dan-wheldon-in-indycar-felt-around-the-world/story-e6frg7mf-1226169163883
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