IndyCar made the sad announcement of the seven-time IndyCar race winner’s passing at approximately 9 p.m. ET on Monday.
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“We will keep your legacy my friend”.
Justin Wilson’s younger brother has been sharing his grief on social media.
Wilson was air lifted to a nearby hospital in Pennsylvania where it was announced the native of Great Britain was in a coma.
McLaren driver Jenson Button led the tributes from the F1 fraternity. “Known as a gentle giant at 6ft 4, he was an excellent driver too, with the paddock always regarding his skills as being far better than the equipment he raced in”. He began his IndyCar career in 2004. Hundreds of people bought shares in Wilson, who was dyslexic and a strong supporter of foundations related to the disorder. What awful news and what a dramatic year for racing. The IndyCar season concludes Sunday in Sonoma, California. While Justin was only part of the Andretti line-up for a short time, it only took a second for him to forever become part of the Andretti family.
“To say that we are heartbroken over the loss of Justin Wilson would create the false impression that our pain is localized”, said Art St. Cyr, president of Honda Performance Development. “Godspeed, JW”.
On 28-29 January 2012, Wilson and co-drivers AJ Allmendinger, Oswaldo Negri and John Pew won the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona, driving the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Riley MkXXVI Ford Daytona Prototype.
Justin Wilson was seriously injured in IndyCar crashes twice in a two-year span. Both times, the veteran driver returned to competition unwavering in his love for the sport and his acceptance of the risks.
“Justin will be remembered not only as a talented driver but also as quite simply one of the nicest blokes in motorsport”, said Horner.
Fellow driver Ed Carpenter spoke of Wilson Monday evening. Beyond that, he was a great guy. “Everyone respected him for the way he carried himself”. As racers blew through the debris, Wilson managed to catch the car’s carbon fiber nosecone.
“Justin had not been racing much this season and I was happy to watch him. It makes his life more powerful”.
Information from the Associated Press was included in this report. “To me, it’s acceptable”. “Knowing the impact it had, I’m all for it and so glad we did that”.
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The death also triggered calls for safety reviews, including suggestions that open-wheel racing be banned on high-speed, oval tracks, where tightly-packed cars reach speeds of 370kmh.
