Death of IndyCar racer triggers calls for safety review - The Globe and Mail
The death of British IndyCar driver Justin Wilson has once again raised questions about the safety of motor racing and prompted calls for the introduction of closed cockpits. IndyCar officials announced on Monday that Wilson had died from severe head injuries he suffered in a crash at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, the previous day. “I think that it is time that solutions are looked for and I think it is time that the drivers got together and came up with a few ideas and I sincerely hope that some progress will be made on this issue. Since 1966 there have been 18 deaths in IndyCar, including the series’ previous incarnations as Champ Car, CART and Indy Racing League. The last driver killed in IndyCar was Wilson’s fellow Englishman Dan Wheldon, who died in a fiery crash at Las Vegas in 2011, a year after he had won the Indy 500 for a second time. His 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 370 km/h (230 mph). Indycar officials have introduced a raft of new safety measures over the years, including safer walls and collapsible barriers designed to cushion impact as well as installing mobile hospitals and state-of-the-art trauma centres at race tracks. Source: www.theglobeandmail.com
