RIP Dan Wheldon 16.10.11

[hemingway]

Was saddened to hear news of IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon's death this morning. I can only imagine the difficult times ahead for his family and friends.



http://en.espnf1.com/usracing/motorsport/story/61838.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

[Daft]

Horrible accident. RIP

[matt1985]

I am an Indycar journalist, even though i am based in Australia and write for an Australian website - www.richardsf1.com, and I was at this race. Even though i had my media credentials, I was amazed at the level of access i had to the paddock, pitlane and even the track. There was still a considerable crowd standing on the track itself watching the driver introductions some 15 minutes before the start of the race.

Anyway, i had conducted all of my scheduled interviews with various people, and I was wandering around the track area and the stage where the drivers were being introduced, and found Dan Wheldon hanging around talking to fans. I managed to chat with him for about 5 mins, asking all the usual questions he was probably sick of by that point, such as his comparisons on the 2011 car to the 2012 machine he was developing as well as the $5m bonus he was aiming for if he could win the race. He answered my questions as though he had never been asked them before, was polite, recognised I was from Australia and even mentioned that he was racing the next weekend at Surfers Paradise in the V8 Supercar event and looking forward to it. A true professional and the most enjoyable interview i had conducted that day.

And then about an hour later, he was dead.

It was an awful way to end the day when i was looking forward to a really competitive race. It was only 12 laps in, and i ended up having to write a tribute to Wheldon when i was preparing to write a race report instead.

[hemingway]

Sounds like a cool job Matt! Though obviously it has it's ups and downs.

I just heard about a ridiculous piece in the herald sun written by jill singer, slamming motorsport for it's inherent dangers and fans for their supposed blood-lust. Clearly knows nothing of motorsport and why people compete or spectate at any level, nor bothered to research the subject beyond a google search of recent(ish) deaths in motorsport.

[matt1985]

Just to clarify my job Hemingway, I am a journalist for a motorsports website, but I write Indycar news, and sub-edit articles about Formula 1, V8's and a range of other categories. I am an Indycar specialist writer though, so when i say i am an Indycar journalist, i cover that series primarily but write for the site as a whole.

As for Jill Singer, i just read her article. It is an opinion piece and you're right, a very poorly researched piece written by somebody looking for the popular vote. Obviously it hasnt worked as Ann Neal, who is Mark Webber's partner, has decried her article as utter trash, which it is.