Toronto Star

Danger always lurking on track

At high speeds even a small bump can have deadly consequenc­es

- MIKE SHULMAN

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. Hunter-Reay’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 Guelph native 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

At the same track as Wickens’ crash three years ago, British driver Wilson was killed when he was hit in the head during a Pocono 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

A fellow Canadian, childhood friend and teammate of Wickens, Hinchcliff­e is no stranger to disaster himself.

In 2015, the Oakville native 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

Prior to Wilson’s death, the two-time Indianapol­is 500 champion was the last Indy driver to die from an on-track incident.

The 33-year-old Wheldon was killed when his head hit a fence post after a 15-car pile-up 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

The two-time CART champion was leading the American Memorial 500 at the EuroSpeedw­ay Lausitz in Germany with12 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

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

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

With three laps to go at the1996 Molson Indy Toronto, 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 31year-old died in the crash and track worker Gary Avrin was struck and killed by the right front wheel of his car.

AYRTON SENNA

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

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

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.

 ?? HOCH ZWEI/GETTY IMAGES FILE PHOTO ?? Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve died in a Formula 1 crash at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1982 when a collision with another car sent his Ferrari airborne, flinging him into the catch fencing.
HOCH ZWEI/GETTY IMAGES FILE PHOTO Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve died in a Formula 1 crash at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1982 when a collision with another car sent his Ferrari airborne, flinging him into the catch fencing.
 ?? SCOTT NELSON/GETTY IMAGES FILE PHOTO ?? Members of the Players-Forsythe racing team console one another after a 1999 crash that killed driver Greg Moore.
SCOTT NELSON/GETTY IMAGES FILE PHOTO Members of the Players-Forsythe racing team console one another after a 1999 crash that killed driver Greg Moore.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada