British IndyCar Driver Justin Wilson Dead at 31
Aug. 22, 2015: Justin Wilson, of England, walking on pit road during qualifying for Sunday’s Pocono IndyCar 500 auto race. (Photo: AP/Derik Hamilton)
IndyCar driver Justin Wilson, 37, died Monday night from a head injury suffered when a piece of flaming debris from another car struck him at Pocono Raceway. IndyCar made the announcement at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Wilson, a British driver living outside of Denver in Longmont, Colorado, was hit in the head during Sunday’s veered into an interior wall at the track after being hit by a piece of debris that had broken off another car. He was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
“Can’t even begin to describe the loss I feel right now. He was my Brother, my best friend, my role model and mentor. He was a champion!” his younger brother, Stefan, also an IndyCar driver, tweeted. Stefan also said his brother’s organs would be donated.
The last IndyCar driver to die from an on-track incident was Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon, who was killed in the 2011 season finale at Las Vegas when his car went airborne and his head hit a post in the fence. Following Wheldon’s death, Wilson became one of three driver representatives to serve as a liaison between the competitors and IndyCar, and was well-liked and respected by his peers.
“Justin’s elite ability to drive a race car was matched by his unwavering kindness, character and humility — which is what made him one of the most respected members of the paddock,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., the parent company of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Wilson, himself, broke a bone in his back at Mid-Ohio in 2011 and missed the final six races of the season. He was forced to wear a back brace for over two months. Because he was restricted from any physical activity, he missed the season finale at Las Vegas, the race where Wheldon died. Further, Wilson also suffered a broken pelvis and a bruised lung in the 2013 season finale at Fontana, but never let his injuries and Wheldon’s death change his views on his career or the sport.
“You’ve got to know the risks and work out if those risks are acceptable,” Wilson told The Associated Press upon his return to racing in 2012. “To me, it’s acceptable. But I’m not going to stop trying to improve it. All the drivers, this IndyCar, we’re always trying to make it safer, but at the end of the day, it’s a race car. We’re racing hard, we’re racing IndyCars and it’s fast. When it goes wrong, it can get messy.”
Wilson, from Sheffield, England, won sever times over his 12-season open-wheel racing career, and finish 5th in the famed Indianapolis 500. He won the prestigious 24 Hours of Daytona with Michael Shank Racing, and he competed in 20 Formula One races in 2003 before moving to the U.S. to join Champ Car, where he finished third in 2005 and was runner-up in both 2006 and 2007. He sign on with Andretti Autosport for the sixth of seven scheduled races with the team in an agreement that started as a two-race deal for the events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but it was increased to the final five races of the year. The IndyCar season concludes Sunday in Sonoma, California.
“While Justin was only part of the Andretti lineup for a short time, it only took a second for him to forever become part of the Andretti family,” the Andretti team said. “His life and racing career is a story of class and passion surpassed by none. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Wilson family and fans worldwide. Godspeed, JW.”
Andretti Autosport also called Wilson “a tremendous racer, a valuable member of the team and respected representative to our sport.”
Justin Wilson is survived by his wife Julia Wilson, their two daughters, 7 and 5. The family is asking for donations to a trust fund for his daughters in lieu of flowers.
