IndyCar to reveal Wheldon findings
IndyCar officials will today announce their preliminary findings into the death of Dan Wheldon.
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Wheldon died from injuries suffered in a crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October in the final race of the 2011 season. He was 33.
The sport has been highly scrutinised following the fatality. Critics have queried the speeds the cars can reach, the high-banked oval tracks and the experience of some of the drivers on the grid. IndyCar has yet to reveal its 2012 schedule because officials have been waiting for the investigation to be completed.
Following the accident, Sir Jackie Stewart demanded safety levels in IndyCar be examined.
Stewart, who won three Formula One championships for Tyrrell between 1969 and 1973, said: "The accident we saw was something different.
"It was such high speed on such a small track with too many cars together and not that many top racing drivers in there. Take 15 cars out of a field of 34. It's probably too much for a one-and-a-half-mile circuit.''
But Stewart, who became an advocate for racing safety following his retirement in 1973, believes reducing the number of cars on the track is not the only potential solution.
"Problems really are made to be overcome. We can find better ways of doing things,'' he added.
"It may be that we have to have smaller engines with smaller horsepower and slower speeds in IndyCar racing. You've got to contain the action within the race. I don't think you can stand still for safety. There's always an improvement to be made.''
Wheldon, from Olney in Buckinghamshire, achieved stardom in the United States where he won the IndyCar Series - and its signature race - in 2005 and repeated his success at Indianapolis this year.
