When I first started paying attention to racing as a child, death at the track was all too common. Many drivers who survived those years of the 50's, 60's, and 70's talk about cars and tracks they were not comfortable with, leaving their hotels or houses on the morning of a race, unsure if they would return. Many drivers I admired died in those days, from Jim Clark to Eddie Sachs, Dave McDonald, Jo Bonnier, and dozens of others. It was a thrill for me to meet some of my heroes who survived those days in later life. Drivers like Dan Gurney and Mario Andretti. I even had a short conversation with Luigi Chinetti at Daytona once in the 80's, when he was involved with a N.A.R.T. Ferrari.

Due to the efforts of Jackie Stewart and others, racing in virtually all forms has become much safer in recent years, and all of us can recall seeing horrific crashes, such as Allan McNish's at Le Mans this year, and being happily surprised to see the driver emerge from the wreckage nearly unscathed. We also remember Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s crash at Daytona, over ten years ago, which at first seemed almost benign, and our subsequent shock to learn of his passing.

Death on the racetrack has become rare, but it is always lurking. When a baseball player gets ready for work, he puts on a garish uniform, a cute cap, a pair of spikes, and heads out to the field. He faces possible injury, but a fatal one is almost unheard of. When a race car driver prepares for work, he, or she, puts on a few layers of fire-resistant underwear, fire-resistant socks and gloves, and a fire-resistant driving suit. He or she also puts on a helmet, not quite like the batting helmet a baseball player wears, but a crash helmet, and a HANS device. All of this is worn because of the inherent dangers involved in driving cars at very high speeds.

Thankfully, Formula One has had no fatalities since the horrible weekend in 1994, when young Roland Ratzenberger, and then multiple World Champion Ayrton Senna were lost to us, so perhaps some have come to take for granted that it will never happen again. Sunday's events in Las Vegas have brought back once again the awful truth that racing can never be made so safe that drivers will always survive.

Seeing the faces of his friends and competitors weeping openly at hearing of Dan Wheldon's death reminds me of so many similar scenes in the past. So many of our heroes were lost this way, and recriminations over the track and the number of drivers in the race not totally familiar with the cars or the track are flying all over forums and message boards. However, fundamental change of any kind is unlikely, perhaps impossible.

No matter how safe the cars are, no matter what is done with the tracks, the element of danger and risk will always be present. I never met Dan Wheldon, but I saw him on TV a lot, either driving, doing commentary, or being interviewed. He was a skilled and dedicated racer, and seemed to have a fun, gregarious manner. Even after winning the Indy 500 this year, he was unable to secure sponsorship for a regular ride, but had a car for the season finale, Indycar's big "World Championship" in Las Vegas. A huge winner's purse for this race brought out every Dallara chassis available, and drivers of all levels of experience.

Every driver I've ever talked to is concerned about getting caught up in someone else's accident, arriving at a corner with no place to go and nowhere to hide. In a cluster of cars going 220+ there was certainly nowhere to go, and on a banked oval, definitely no place to hide.

Thank you Dan Wheldon, for your skill, your dedication, your spirit, and your humour. I hope I never feel quite as empty as I do right now ever again.

Jim Casey
jim.casey@pitpass.com

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