R.I.P. Justin Wilson

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This was just tweeted by Ganassi driver Tony Kanaan: "Why do we do this? Because we love it, don't want to be anywhere else but a race car. We will keep your legacy my friend. Racers race."
 
Originally Posted By: Whitewolf
Just found out. We are all very sad with this news. I knew Justin from earlier racing activities.


I had only seen him close when I was in the garage at Fontana, he was constantly talking with fans, signing autographs, and taking pictures. Seemed like a genuinely nice person.
 
Not surprised. Terribly sad. That debris he hit went a hundred feet up in the air. Terrible. I kid everyone here not... I thought about the Indy car series needing some kind of Lexan dome put over top the driver's cockpit. I thought about this just on Saturday afternoon. And when I saw the video.. Really hard. I had just thought about my concern over this just the day before. I pray for his family, teammates, and his competitors. Sad day again for Indy car. Too many of them lately.
frown.gif
 
They need to go to a drag boat type cockpit. I've always thought it was kinda goofy to have your head exposed even with a helmet on. Why is it racers have to die before something so wrong gets fixed???
R.I.P. Justin Wilson.
 
Originally Posted By: oldhp
They need to go to a drag boat type cockpit. I've always thought it was kinda goofy to have your head exposed even with a helmet on. Why is it racers have to die before something so wrong gets fixed???
R.I.P. Justin Wilson.


We have a canopy on some of the cars in the racing series I'm apart of. There are advantages and disadvantages depending on what happens in a given racing incident. A canopy-enclosed cockpit could just as easily trap a driver, when they could otherwise get out. There is no easy answer.

The bottom line is racing will always be dangerous. Everybody knows the risks, and they still want to be there.

My sincerest condolences to Justin Wilson's family and friends.

RIP, Justin.
 
Maybe it's time for an enclosed cockpit. Speeds are increasing and cars are dealing with higher dynamic forces and carbon fiber comes apart in crashes. Cars are designed to the limits of available materials. Felipe Massa was hit in the head by a spring from another car and Ayrton Senna was killed by being struck in the head by a wheel. An enclosed cockpit might ad a few more seconds of protection in a rollover or a fire. When it comes to safety every little bit helps.
 
Originally Posted By: bbhero
Not surprised. Terribly sad. That debris he hit went a hundred feet up in the air. Terrible.

That impact was just terrible to watch. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers.

Well, I know that people will hold some very fond memories of Wilson, and the mention of his name will bring a smile to a lot of faces.
 
Truly a sad episode. My heart missed a beat when I read the headline. I had hopes that he would pull through. But after seeing how high in the air that nose cone went after it bounced off his helmet, I knew there was a lot of energy in the impact. Justin Wilson had been seriously injured twice before, yet he kept returning to the cockpit. He loved racing, or he wouldn't have been there. I hope his wife and kids can carry on and find happiness on the other side of their grief.
 
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