Indy-car racer Paul Dana of the United States was killed in a crash during a practice session on Sunday before the Indy 300.
The accident came during the final pre-race testing before the first Indy Racing League event of the season at the 2,4km oval at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.
”This is a very black day,” said Bobby Rahal, a former racer and the 30-year-old driver’s team owner. ”On behalf of our team, our prayers and sympathies go out to Paul, his wife Tonya and the rest of his family.”
Dana’s American teammates, Danica Patrick and 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice, pulled out of the race. It was uncertain who might replace Dana as driver the remainder of the season.
”Our plan is to compete next weekend,” Rahal said. [(With Dana’s car it] is unclear what we will do.”
Ed Carpenter, the 25-year-old stepson of series owner Tony George, hit the outside wall in the second turn in the 30-minute final practice. His car spun down the track and came to a stop as other vehicles evaded the car.
Nearly seven seconds later, Dana’s car came through at 280kph and slammed into the main tub and gearbox of Carpenter’s car. Dana’s car went airborne from the impact.
Carpenter had minor injuries but Dana was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he died of massive trauma injuries.
Carpenter remained hospitalised in stable condition.
A moment of silence in Dana’s memory was conducted before the start of the race, which continued despite discussions from several drivers about postponing the event.
”You don’t think about things like that,” said US racer Sam Hornish, who finished third. ”The day I start thinking about those things is the day I stop racing. I want to think about winning … not worry about whether I’m going to get hurt.”
Dana had qualified ninth and would have started on the inside of the fifth row and was on the minds of some of the racers.
”I did think about him during the race,” said Brazil’s Felipe Giaffone, who finished eighth.
”I’m still in shock about the whole thing,” said Scotsman Dario Franchitti, who finished fourth. ”I didn’t know Paul very well, but I’ve been through this before. I just feel for his family.”
England’s Dan Wheldon, the defending series champion who won here for the second year in a row, put Dana’s car number 17 on the sidepod of his car. Wheldon choked up as he spoke of Dana.
”It’s very difficult to race under circumstances like this,” he said. ”On a difficult day like today, everybody came together and put on a great show.”
Other drivers had slowed when told of the initial spin by spotters above the track but Dana’s car was at full speed when it smashed into Carpenter’s car.
”The spotter made clear there was an incident to Paul,” Rahal said. ”There was a car on the outside that Paul had just passed. It would be conjecture and very irresponsible of to me to dissect why that happened.
”The spotter had informed Paul, though.”
There was no delay in signaling a caution period, IRL officials said.
”This is the first time of the weekend that we had all 20 cars on the track at the same time,” IRL president Brian Barnhart said. ”Ed had his problem in turn two initially. The yellow lights were turned on immediately.
”There were a lot of cars and a lot of traffic.”
Dana’s death is the third in IRL history for a driver.
American Scott Brayton was killed in practice before the 1996 Indianapolis 500 when he slammed into the second turn wall. American Tony Renna was killed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2003 during a tyre test session.
Dana had worked his way into a driver’s job by serving as a mechanic, a racing instructor, a sports writer and a marketing representative.
Dana raced in three Indy-car events last year, his best finish a 10th-place showing here before a season-ending back injury in an Indy 500 practice crash. – AFP
