A look at some of scariest crashes in racing history
Canadian IndyCar driver Robert Wickens was attempting to pass Ryan Hunter-Reay at Pocono Raceway on Sunday when their two cars touched each other.
But the seemingly minor bump had big consequences. HunterReay’s car careened into the wall, carrying Wickens’ along with it and eventually sending it helicoptering into the fence.
The collision left Wickens with injuries to his lower extremities, right arm and spine, as well as a pulmonary contusion. The native of Guelph, Ont., was expected to undergo an MRI and surgery at Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest in Allentown, Pa.
Scary scenes like this, of course, are a reality in the dangerous sport.
With the Wickens incident in mind, here is a look at some of the biggest — and sometimes deadly — crashes in auto racing history.
Justin Wilson — Pocono Raceway
At the same track as Wickens’ crash, three years ago, British driver Wilson was killed when he was hit in the head during the race by a piece of debris that had broken off from a crashed car.
The 37-year-old’s car then veered into a wall.
James Hinchcliffe — Indianapolis Motor Speedway
A fellow Canadian, childhood friend and teammate of Wickens, Hinchcliffe is no stranger to disaster himself.
In 2015, the native of Oakville, Ont., crashed into the wall during a practice for the Indianapolis 500 when a component in his car’s right-front suspension failed. A piece of the broken suspension pierced the car’s tub and an artery in Hinchcliffe’s upper left thigh. Only a quick response from IndyCar’s medical team prevented him from bleeding to death. Hinchcliffe returned to the track in 2016 and has since won two IndyCar races.
Dan Wheldon — Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Prior to Wilson’s death, twotime Indianapolis 500 champion Wheldon was the last Indy driver to die from an on-track incident.
The 33-year-old was killed when his head hit a fence post after a 15-car pileup at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011. Wheldon had been at the back of the crash and was launched roughly 100 metres into the catchfence.
Alex Zanardi — EuroSpeedway Lausitz
Two-time CART champion Zanardi was leading the American Memorial 500 in Germany with 12 laps to go, but as he tried to merge back onto the track, he lost control of his car and went into the path of Canadian driver Alex Tagliani.
The 2001 crash left Zanardi with both legs amputated above the knee. The Italian has since won three Paralympic gold medals in hand cycling.
Dale Earnhardt — Daytona International Speedway
On the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001, Earnhardt lost control of his car after he was tapped from behind, causing him to crash head-on into a wall. Earnhardt was killed in the crash.
The 49-year-old’s teammate Michael Waltrip won the race and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second. Earnhardt won seven NASCAR Winston Cup championships and 76 Winston Cup races during his legendary career.
Greg Moore — California Speedway
Moore almost didn’t race in the 1999 CART season finale.
But he was cleared to drive despite breaking his finger, suffering a deep laceration to his hand and a bruised right hip in a scooter accident the day before the race in Fontana, Calif.
Just 10 laps into the Marlboro 500, the native of Maple Ridge, B.C., lost control of his car, and suffered massive head injuries after crashing into a retaining wall. He was confirmed dead about an hour after the accident.
Jeff Krosnoff — Exhibition Place
With three laps to go at the 1996 Molson Indy Toronto, Jeff Krosnoff clipped the back end of another car, sending the American CART driver’s car airborne.
It struck a barrier surrounding the track and was carried along the concrete wall, hitting a tree and lamppost.
The 31-year-old died in the crash and track worker Gary Avrin was struck and killed by the right front wheel of his car.
Ayrton Senna — Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
It was a national tragedy in Brazil.
The government declared three days of mourning and millions showed up to watch as Senna’s coffin was driven to his home of Sao Paulo.
The three-time Formula 1 champion died after crashing into a concrete wall during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix in Italy.
Despite his career being cut short at 34, he is still fifth all-time in Grand Prix wins.
Gilles Villeneuve — Circuit Zolder
Canada lost one of its greatest drivers on May 8, 1982 at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Villeneuve, from Saint-Jeansur-Richelieu, Que., died in a Formula 1 crash with Jochen Mass on a cool-down lap, which sent Villeneuve’s Ferrari somersaulting through the air and flinging him into the catch-fencing.
He died of a fracture in his neck.
He won six Grand Prix races in his short career.
Pierre Levegh — Circuit de la Sarthe
June 11, 1955 is one of the darkest days in the history of auto racing.
On the 35th lap of the famous 24 Hours of LeMans in France, Levegh struck Lance Macklin, sending the former’s car airborne into the crowd, killing 83 spectators.
Levegh, who was thrown out of the car, also died.