RIP Dan Weldon. Indy las vegas accident.
- Thread starter tronned
- Start date
NinetyFour
Active member
Rest in peace
I love racing, but hate to see tragedys like this happen.
I love racing, but hate to see tragedys like this happen.
Shitty. For a long time they didn't even announce anyone was injured. Was hoping everyone made it out clean. I guess they just didn't want to speculate on any ones condition without knowing the facts.
RIP.
Goes to show even with all the safety precautions it's a dangerous sport.
Did they announce how everyone else is doin?
RIP.
Goes to show even with all the safety precautions it's a dangerous sport.
Did they announce how everyone else is doin?
tronned
Active member
everyone else is minor injuries. Dan was the airlifted racer. The rest were able to walk away under their own power. Im still in shock, I saw this all unfold live. I tuned into this race for the pre race show and they were talking live with Dan while he was driving on the formation lap and he was saying " he wants to win, if he didnt think he could win... he wouldnt be here".
People forget how dangerous open wheel racing can be, things have come a long way for safety sake but the danger will always be there.
People forget how dangerous open wheel racing can be, things have come a long way for safety sake but the danger will always be there.
Darth.Maul
Active member
I've been watching the race and been following the crash. Super sad stuff. Vibes to Dan's family, friends, and crew.
scratchproteen
Active member
saw it happen live, was in complete shock...was hoping everyone was going to make it out ok...so sad that Dan didn't make it....that was the hardest wreck I've ever seen.
skia4life91
Member
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californiagrown
Active member
i wonder what the official cause of death was? trauma to the head im guessing? Though if they covered his car in a tarp, im guessing there is a bunch of blood and/or flesh?
hnosyalnif
Member
A possibility, although I just read this:
Derek Daly on Indy news is saying his wife was in Infield Care Center
when Wheldon came in. He had unsurvieable internal injuries. They
showed replay and his conjecture probably from wifes description is
Pippa Mann's car penetrated cockpit causing unrepairable internal
injuries
http://www.openwheelworld.net/us/gallery/294/1/
Was terrible to watch, you just knew it was bad from watching it.
RIP Dan.
Derek Daly on Indy news is saying his wife was in Infield Care Center
when Wheldon came in. He had unsurvieable internal injuries. They
showed replay and his conjecture probably from wifes description is
Pippa Mann's car penetrated cockpit causing unrepairable internal
injuries
http://www.openwheelworld.net/us/gallery/294/1/
Was terrible to watch, you just knew it was bad from watching it.
RIP Dan.
shintastic48
Active member
Having raced against Dan the past 4 years when he came back to karting this is a very very sad day.
what my facebook status reads.
The
world can be a cruel place sometimes. Actually, a lot of time. Why they
would make the greatest sport on the planet, also one of the most
dangerous is beyond me. And it has bitten yet again today. There really
isn't a way to describe Dan. He's just one of those guys that nobody
hated, everyone loved, and was one hell of a race car driver. He will go
down in my list of greats to leave this world far far too early. A
great inspiration to me, and in my opinion is going on the same level as
Senna. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family, wife, and everyone
who is hurting on this day. R.I.P.
what my facebook status reads.
The
world can be a cruel place sometimes. Actually, a lot of time. Why they
would make the greatest sport on the planet, also one of the most
dangerous is beyond me. And it has bitten yet again today. There really
isn't a way to describe Dan. He's just one of those guys that nobody
hated, everyone loved, and was one hell of a race car driver. He will go
down in my list of greats to leave this world far far too early. A
great inspiration to me, and in my opinion is going on the same level as
Senna. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family, wife, and everyone
who is hurting on this day. R.I.P.
So brutal... Such an insane crash... Such a sad outcome...
I remember watching Greg Moore's fatal accident happen live about a decade ago. I didn't even really know who he was, but knowing I just saw a great racer perish in an accident... something so tragic and in front of your eyes. it just kills you a bit inside.
This sort of stuff is just so unfair...
I remember watching Greg Moore's fatal accident happen live about a decade ago. I didn't even really know who he was, but knowing I just saw a great racer perish in an accident... something so tragic and in front of your eyes. it just kills you a bit inside.
This sort of stuff is just so unfair...
General_Ripper
Active member
Wow thats terrible. That has to be the worst racing crash I have ever seen. I am surprised all the other guys walked away and glad they did. RIP
It was certainly pretty crazy... and I've seen a bunch of them. This one definitely had the most fire i've ever seen... it was like watching one of those 1960's F1 crashes where they were driving what could only be described as gasoline bombs...
bermbuster49
Active member
so messed up
R.I.P.
R.I.P.
a_pla5tic_bag
Active member
holy shit. i don't follow indy but I do follow F1. That crash looked horrible.
B.Pol
Active member
Me and Shinya both. I have talked to Dan multiple times, and he was one of the nicest human beings out there, let alone a professional athlete. He always had time to sit down with you and talk about whatever you wanted to talk about, he always made time. I never had the privileged of racing against him, I had always dreamed of it and now it will never happen. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and two kids, and whoever else was affected by this tragedy. Racing is a serious sport and life is so short. But for Dan, it was way to short for such a great man.
![pho[tog]rapher](/data/avatars/m/89/89875.jpg?1745610574){kind=avatar}
pho[tog]rapher
Active member
On the news they describe Dan's car as the one that went up against the upper barrier, like scraped up against the fencing, I beliiiiiieve it's the second one? But that's what they said did the most damage-- not the first impact, but the second impact against the fence.
PhaedeD
Active member
it was the second car, the number 77 car.
I have been in shock for the last few hours, I go to a lot of these races every year with the Ganassi team and have had the opportunity to meet and talk to a lot of the drives. I dont have many bad things to say about many, most are incredible people. I think in a sport where you really have the chance of dying every second the competitors are a lot nicer people and have a different light on the world.
A few years back I got to meet and talk to Dan Wheldon and Alex Lloyd for a few minutes. Dan Wheldon was a great guy, easy to talk to and incredibly nice. I am just some nobody hanging around all these people and they took their time to talk to me about Indy and the direction the series is/will be heading the future. It was a true pleasure.
I was supposed to be at this race today. For once I am actually glad I missed a race, I dont think I would want to be there for something like this.
RIP Dan burn the endless rubber in heaven!
I have been in shock for the last few hours, I go to a lot of these races every year with the Ganassi team and have had the opportunity to meet and talk to a lot of the drives. I dont have many bad things to say about many, most are incredible people. I think in a sport where you really have the chance of dying every second the competitors are a lot nicer people and have a different light on the world.
A few years back I got to meet and talk to Dan Wheldon and Alex Lloyd for a few minutes. Dan Wheldon was a great guy, easy to talk to and incredibly nice. I am just some nobody hanging around all these people and they took their time to talk to me about Indy and the direction the series is/will be heading the future. It was a true pleasure.
I was supposed to be at this race today. For once I am actually glad I missed a race, I dont think I would want to be there for something like this.
RIP Dan burn the endless rubber in heaven!
scratchproteen
Active member
that quote even made me choke up a bit when he said that at the end of the broadcast....it was perfect.
illadelphlife
Active member
wow terrible RIP
Montville57
Active member
I was his in car camera on the news last night when they announced te death and all I saw when he was sideways and hit the wall was what I think was flesh blood and brains. I'm not even joking it was fucked up. I don't think the video would be appropriate to post but R.I.P. Dan
PhaedeD
Active member
hey guy, you definitely didnt see his in car cam. they have a delay on these events. plus his car hit head first into the catch fence, his camera is located in the top of the roll bar behind where they sit and they found this top roll bar inside of another race car. what you watched was will powers onboard cam. dont fucking come on ns claiming you saw blood and brains then say RIP Dan. Thats disrespectful as fuck, if you search the internet no where will you find the in car cam of his car, which means it was never broadcasted on tv.
geteducated
Active member
from what i hear from other boards, seemed like a good guy. thoughts for his family and friends.
and my 2 cents is open wheel racing on a small oval at 200mph is nuts!! make contact and those cars take off like a rocket.
and my 2 cents is open wheel racing on a small oval at 200mph is nuts!! make contact and those cars take off like a rocket.
I never knew Dan but a lot of my friends raced with him a bit in karts, and i only heard good things about him. he was a HUGE supporter of karting and the lower formula car ranks, always open to giving advice and helping the up and coming guys as much as he could. also seemed like a super positive guy, always happy with a big smile on his face, and very grateful for what he had.
its so sad when people like him die, they are legends, almost hero status, some of the greatest people in the world. its a bit different when someone like that dies, its so much more than a death, its an event, an extremely tragic event. it has a much bigger impact.
a lot of people are throwing blame around at officials at indycar, drivers, etc.. but really you cant blame anyone, its been awhile since we have had a death in indycar, or professional openwheel racing in general. the last couple decades safety has increased in huge amounts, and everyone got a little too confident.
i was at the race and after watching the lights race with a field 1/3 the size and speeds 20-30 mph less i was thinking the indycar race was gonna be chaos.
34 cars on a 1 1/2 mile track, going 3 sometimes looked like 4 wide with that many competitive lines, and everyone as closely bunched as they were, it honestly would have taken superhuman ability to continue like that without anyone making a mistake. driving that bunched up at 100% of the cars limit at that speed. an accident is guaranteed.
there is always going to be the risk of death in racing, it wouldnt be racing without it and it wouldnt be the best sport in the world (imo) without that risk, the risk makes it much more of a challenge mentally. the sport needs this risk, and all the drivers know and accept that risk. but an accident like this shouldnt happen, the combination of the speed, track, and closeness of the cars was obviously asking for serious injury if not death. hopefully this means this type of accident wont happen again.
Rest in peace Dan Weldon...
its so sad when people like him die, they are legends, almost hero status, some of the greatest people in the world. its a bit different when someone like that dies, its so much more than a death, its an event, an extremely tragic event. it has a much bigger impact.
a lot of people are throwing blame around at officials at indycar, drivers, etc.. but really you cant blame anyone, its been awhile since we have had a death in indycar, or professional openwheel racing in general. the last couple decades safety has increased in huge amounts, and everyone got a little too confident.
i was at the race and after watching the lights race with a field 1/3 the size and speeds 20-30 mph less i was thinking the indycar race was gonna be chaos.
34 cars on a 1 1/2 mile track, going 3 sometimes looked like 4 wide with that many competitive lines, and everyone as closely bunched as they were, it honestly would have taken superhuman ability to continue like that without anyone making a mistake. driving that bunched up at 100% of the cars limit at that speed. an accident is guaranteed.
there is always going to be the risk of death in racing, it wouldnt be racing without it and it wouldnt be the best sport in the world (imo) without that risk, the risk makes it much more of a challenge mentally. the sport needs this risk, and all the drivers know and accept that risk. but an accident like this shouldnt happen, the combination of the speed, track, and closeness of the cars was obviously asking for serious injury if not death. hopefully this means this type of accident wont happen again.
Rest in peace Dan Weldon...
feihlination
Active member
i remember ayrton sennas death in 1994, actually not too much but i know that i watched it life then as a little kid and our dad told us (me and my brother) to leave the room.
these sports are dangerous, but when i look at those indycars i dont see the same safety technology as in the F1, despite the fact that they are a little faster if i remember correctly.
see, senna was one of the 5 best F1 racers ever. his death brought safety standards to where they are now. one day earlier, an unfamous austrian driver died and imo, noone would have cared if not for sennas death. people dont really remember ratzenberger at all.
serious injury/death to a world-class driver will bring safety standards to a better level. i am not saying that F1 is bomb-proof now, but when you look at the following:
THIS IS WITH 280 km/h, around 175 mph; the guy had no broken bones, a minor concussion and wanted to start the next week:
also a lot of accidents over the past 17 years that werent absolutely horrific were survived by drivers WITHOUT scratches. you are used to F1 drivers just walking away from those crashes, when they could have been fatal in the 70's and surely resulting in severe injuries even around 1990.
what i want to say is that all high speed racing associations should really do as much as they can to prevent that and those indycars just dont look very safe to me in comparison to F1 cars.
these sports are dangerous, but when i look at those indycars i dont see the same safety technology as in the F1, despite the fact that they are a little faster if i remember correctly.
see, senna was one of the 5 best F1 racers ever. his death brought safety standards to where they are now. one day earlier, an unfamous austrian driver died and imo, noone would have cared if not for sennas death. people dont really remember ratzenberger at all.
serious injury/death to a world-class driver will bring safety standards to a better level. i am not saying that F1 is bomb-proof now, but when you look at the following:
THIS IS WITH 280 km/h, around 175 mph; the guy had no broken bones, a minor concussion and wanted to start the next week:
also a lot of accidents over the past 17 years that werent absolutely horrific were survived by drivers WITHOUT scratches. you are used to F1 drivers just walking away from those crashes, when they could have been fatal in the 70's and surely resulting in severe injuries even around 1990.
what i want to say is that all high speed racing associations should really do as much as they can to prevent that and those indycars just dont look very safe to me in comparison to F1 cars.
shintastic48
Active member
That "unknown" Austrian driver you were talking about that died that Saturday at Imola was Roland Ratzenberger. Sad that he wasn't mourned as much as he should have been. Nice guy from what I hear.
shintastic48
Active member
Sorry for the double post. But he also was a class winner at Le Mans the year before I believe. So I wouldn't' say he was unknown. Just a new face in the F1 paddock.
