Former F1 Champion Scheckter Believes IndyCar is Most Dangerous Form of Racing after Wheldon Death

Former Formula 1 world champion Jody Scheckter believes IndyCar racing is the most potent form of motor racing and has even urged his son to quit the series after the sad death of British IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon

The 33-year-old, a two-time winner of the country’s most prestigious race, the Indy 500, died after suffering multiple injuries in a 15-car crash at the season finale in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Scheckter was a spectator at Sunday’s Las Vegas Indy 300 and had an anxious wait before discovering son Tomas had escaped unharmed from the crash.

“I’ve wanted him to give up for a while,” said Scheckter.

“Hopefully this will knock some sense into him and realise there is more to life. It really isn’t worth it.”

Asked whether the sport was safe, Scheckter said: “No. It is the most dangerous form of motor racing at the moment.

“I think the set-up they put in so it can be more of a spectacle makes it very, very dangerous on circuits like this. Some others [circuits] aren’t as bad.”

Scheckter, 61, who won the Formula 1 title in 1979, has stated the crash was “inevitable” due to the changes designed at making IndyCar more competitive.

He said wings allowing more downforce were aiding the speed of cars, and also the excessive amount of drivers, in this case 35, who took part in the race.

“There is hardly any difference in speed between the good drivers and the bad drivers,” said Scheckter, a South African who now runs an organic farm near Basingstoke.

“They were basically touching wheels at 220mph. They all bunch up together so there are 35 cars in a small space of track. One person makes a mistake and this happens. You [shouldn’t] have to get killed if you make a mistake. It was madness. Formula 1 is not like that anymore and it is still quite exciting.”

Scheckter said he was in a hospitality suite when the crash happened and feared the worst for his son, who has competed in 115 races, winning two.

“We really just hoped,” he said. “I had the headset on through to his channel and I heard him say ‘someone had hit me in the back’ so I knew he was OK after that.

“Dan raced with or against some of my sons in England in Formula Vauxhall. We have known him for years really. He has been very successful. A bubbly guy all the time. It is very sad.”

Other motor racing experts have weighed in with their thoughts.

Former Formula 1 and IndyCar driver Mark Blundell said the Las Vegas track was unsuitable for cars of the power and speed used in Indy 300.

“It was inevitable in many ways,” the Briton said of Sunday’s accident. “It was a recipe for disaster. These type of cars shouldn’t be on these type of circuits.

“Fifteen cars wiped out – 40% of the grid – and we’ve had a fatality. That’s not acceptable.”

Scottish IndyCar driver Dario Franchitti, a four-time IndyCar series champion and close friends with Dan Wheldon, also had concerns about the race.

“I could see within five laps people were starting to do crazy stuff,” he said.

“I love hard racing but that to me is not really what it’s about, one small mistake from somebody. Right now I’m numb and speechless. One minute you’re joking around and the next he’s gone. He was six years old when I first met him. He was this little kid and the next thing you know he was my team-mate.

“We put so much pressure on ourselves to win races and championships and today it doesn’t matter.”

Fellow IndyCar driver Danica Patrick after the tragic event announced she would be leaving the series, no doubt the catastrophic events playing on her mind.

To discuss the news join our iSportconnect discussion Dan Wheldon.