Dan Wheldon 1978 – 2011

I just saw on the news that his roll bar or hoop bar whatever they call it, failed.

I don't think that a non-crushed roll bar would've helped him. I though he hit with his head first. That's what I read - haven't seen it myself yet.

Anyhow - Rest in Peace Daniel Wheldon, may you race together with Senna, Ratzenberger, Dana, Earnhardt and all the other in the racing drivers afterlife!
 
Very sad news. Just the day before I spent a couple of hours going over my collection of vintage racing videos and it reminded me how cheap racecar driver's lives were back then. As a young kind I remember watching F1 and Endurance races with my grandpa and there wasn't a week of racing that went by without someone losing their life. With all the advances we have made in safety, both on the track and in the cars we have become complacent. Racing is still a dangerous sport. Maybe no longer a sport that eats its young, but still subject to the laws of physics. We should be grateful that incidents like this one are now the exception but it's a small consolation to the tragic loss of life of a great person and a great racer.
 
R.I.P. Dan
Its something everyone that races knows could happen at some or other time. But its something thats always pushed to the back of the mind. Guess we all keep saying to ourselves "it will never happen to me". Its the risk thats taken when climbing into any race car.
But definate further steps must be taken to make it safer, the cars, the speeds, tracks, rules etc must all be relooked at.
Just a pitty it always needs someone to die, before things are changed
 
The fact is at 220mph no car is going to come out of a wall looking healthy, the track was the main issue not the car.

I dont think the track is to blame here, in CART they raced this track in the 90s and i cant realy remember any serious incidents back then at this kind of track. In my humble opinion i think the current spec cars they have been using are to blame as these cars tend to go airborne verry easily as soon as they hit someone. I cant remember many big airbornes before they started to use the new chassis. THe spec cars and earo package they currently use allow the racers to drive verry closely togheter. Just look at the last 10 years, we have seen frequently cars going up in the air and its a mirracle we didnt lost more drivers like Kenny Brack or Mike Conway recently.

Anyway i realy hope the new car is going to help to have a safer IRL
 
R.I.P :(

Folks i have a request for a good purpose (i hope):

Can you share a photo of Wheldon's car's livery which was in that dreadful Vegas Race and his helmet and his driver suit.

I have searched google for his livery and helmet but there are too many variations and i have so little knowledge on IndyCar so i'm confused :(
 
Looking at the damage from various photos... I think it was the catch fencing that is the culprit. Indycar has a lot farther to go for safety, true, but the car and cockpit hitting the wire fencing at those speeds make it like Garrot wire. If the new design can keep the cars from being launched... that is a big step but I think there also need to be steps taken to protect the driver's heads in the up coming designs, the way formula 1 did so after Senna's demise.
 
One of the most sickening crashes I have seen.

I've heard since that several drivers brought up safety concerns earlier in the weekend. I don't follow IndyCar but I have heard comments since from other drivers outside the series or former drivers that the safety record was poor and it was too dangerous to be a part of. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but have these concerns been voiced before?

The autopsy said that he died of a "blunt force trauma to the head" which I understand happened when he hit one of the posts supporting the catch fencing.

Several things concern me about the incident. Firstly the behaviour of the drivers during the first 12 laps has been mentioned by several drivers that took part in the race. A lot of drivers were moving up and down the track and cutting in front of cars and it was only a matter of time till 2 cars touched, which is what happened here. The number of cars on the track has played its part as everyone is so close together. If Indy is only allowed to have 33, then why was there 34 cars allowed to race on this track? Then we get to the cars themselves. From what I saw in the footage, a number of cars were catching fire on impact with other cars or the wall. This seriously needs to be addressed for the future. Watching two cars take off after hitting the rear wheel of another car was disturbing. I don't know how often this happens in IndyCar but I know Dan's car was carrying the new wheelguards to prevent this from happening, sadly for him, the car in front did not have these. Hopefully F1 and other open-wheel classes can look at this and do something to prevent cars getting airborn when wheels collide.

Whatever is done for the future, it won't erase what happened last Sunday. My condolences go out to Dan's family and friends.

R.I.P. Dan.
 
I have no words to express my sadness , grief and emptiness. My thoughts and prayers go out for his family and friends.You were a great race driver and a really nice guy ! Goodbye Dan ! I will miss you so much.
 
F1 fuel cells are designed not to split on impact. It's like a really tough balloon inside an outer shell of bodywork.

IDK if the indy cars are desired like this too.



Sample of F1 regs....( not 100% in which year, but mostly relevant)
ARTICLE 6: FUEL SYSTEM
6.1 Fuel tanks:
6.1.1 The fuel tank must be a single rubber bladder conforming to or exceeding the specifications of FIA/FT5-1999, the fitting of foam within the tank however is not mandatory. A list of approved materials may be found in the Appendix to these regulations.
6.1.2 All the fuel stored on board the car must be situated between the front face of the engine and the driver's back when viewed in lateral projection. When establishing the front face of the engine, no parts of the fuel, oil, water or electrical systems will be considered.
Furthermore, no fuel can be stored more than 300mm forward of the highest point at which the driver's back makes contact with his seat. However, a maximum of 2 litres of fuel may be kept outside the survival cell, but only that which is necessary for the normal running of the engine.
6.1.3 Fuel must not be stored more than 400mm from the longitudinal axis of the car.
6.1.4 All rubber bladders must be made by manufacturers recognised by the FIA. In order to obtain the agreement of the FIA, the manufacturer must prove the compliance of his product with the specifications approved by the FIA. These manufacturers must undertake to deliver to their customers exclusively tanks complying to the approved standards.
A list of approved manufacturers may be found in the Appendix to these regulations.
6.1.5 All rubber bladders shall be printed with the name of the manufacturer, the specifications to which the tank has been manufactured and the date of manufacture.
6.1.6 No rubber bladders shall be used more than 5 years after the date of manufacture.
6.2 Fittings and piping:
6.2.1 All apertures in the fuel tank must be closed by hatches or fittings which are secured to metallic or composite bolt rings bonded to the inside of the bladder. The total area of any such hatches or fittings which are in contact with the fuel may not exceed 30000mm².
Bolt hole edges must be no less than 5mm from the edge of the bolt ring, hatch or fitting.
6.2.2 All fuel lines between the fuel tank and the engine must have a self sealing breakaway valve. This valve must separate at less than 50% of the load required to break the fuel line fitting or to pull it out of the fuel tank.
6.2.3 No lines containing fuel may pass through the cockpit.
6.2.4 All lines must be fitted in such a way that any leakage cannot result in the accumulation of fuel in the cockpit.
6.3 Crushable structure:
The fuel tank must be completely surrounded by a crushable structure, which is an integral part of the survival cell and must be able to withstand the loads required by the tests in Articles 18.2.1 and 18.3.
6.4 Fuel tank fillers:
Fuel tank fillers must not protrude beyond the bodywork. Any breather pipe connecting the fuel tank to the atmosphere must be designed to avoid liquid leakage when the car is running and its outlet must not be less than 250mm from the cockpit opening.
All fuel tank fillers and breathers must be designed to ensure an efficient locking action which reduces the risk of an accidental opening following a crash impact or incomplete locking after refuelling.
6.5 Refuelling:
6.5.1 All refuelling during the race must be carried out at a rate no greater than 12.1 litres per second and by using equipment which has been supplied by the FIA designated manufacturer, details concerning the manufacturer may be found in the Appendix to these regulations. This manufacturer will be required to supply identical refuelling systems, the complete specification of which will be available from the FIA no later than one month prior to the first Championship Event.
Any modifications to the manufacturer's specification may only be made following written consent from the FIA.
6.5.2 A cover must be fitted over the car connector at all times when the car is running on the track. The cover and its attachments must be sufficiently strong to avoid accidental opening in the event of an accident.
6.5.3 Before refuelling commences, the car connector must be connected electrically to earth.
All metal parts of the refuelling system from the coupling to the supply tank must also be connected to earth.
6.5.4 No fuel intended for immediate use in a car may be more than ten degrees centigrade below ambient temperature. When assessing compliance the ambient temperature will be that recorded one hour before any practice session or the race by the FIA appointed weather service provider. This information will also be displayed on the timing monitors.
The temperature of fuel intended for use in a car must be measured via an FIA approved and sealed
sensor.
6.5.5 The use of any device on board the car to decrease the temperature of the fuel is forbidden.
6.6 Fuel sampling:
6.6.1 Competitors must provide a means of removing all fuel from the car.
6.6.2 Competitors must ensure that a one litre sample of fuel may be taken from the car at any time during the Event.
6.6.2 All cars must be fitted with a –2 'Symetrics' male fitting in order to facilitate fuel sampling. If an electric pump on board the car cannot be used to remove the fuel an externally connected one may be used provided it is evident that a representative fuel sample is being taken. If an external pump is used it must be possible to connect the FIA sampling hose to it and any hose between the car and pump must be -3 in diameter and not exceed 2m in length. Details of the fuel sampling hose may be found in the Appendix to these regulations.
6.6.3 The sampling procedure must not necessitate starting the engine or the removal of bodywork (other than the cover over the refuelling connector).
 
Speed has nothing to do with ignition.
When's the last time you have seen an f1 car catch fire in a crash?
I cant remember the last time(I dont count after-crash fire, like heidfelds in germany, he was well out of the car by the time it lit)
 
I would think that IndyCar would have beefed up on safety by now, but they are behind the pack of many other motorsport sanctions, even NASCAR for sure.

My condolences to Dan Wheldon's family, friends, etc.
 

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