Baltimore Grand Prix

After the Dan Wheldon accident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October, IndyCar Series safety came to the forefront of concern.

1.  The type of track the IndyCars race on
In an article from Racer.com, Scott Dixon, two-time IZOD IndyCar Series Champion and an Indianapolis 500 winner, reinforced Randy Bernard’s, CEO of IZOD IndyCar Series, position on switching to a street race at Las Vegas instead of the oval race like the one held this year.  The article explains that racers drive at top speeds the whole time, with no reason to brake to slow down, in such close proximities create optimal conditions for high speed accidents.  With the insertion of a street race, the drivers would adjust their speeds for the turns and straightaways and would diminish the likelihood of tragic accidents.

2. The catch fence design at LVMS and if that had an impact in the outcome of the accident

"At Las Vegas Motor Speedway and all Speedway Motorsports Inc. tracks, steel supports sit on the racetrack side with the fencing located behind them." -http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/

An article on the Sports Illustrated website explains that “the fencing is on the racetrack side, with the steel supports behind them on the grandstand side.”  However, at other racetracks, it is the opposite with the fencing on the grandstand side of the supports.  The difference in the design of the fences is causing questions to arise such as did this contribute to the outcome of the accident? and was it designed for safety reasons? Answers to both of these questions are being investigated.

3. The open cockpit of the IndyCars
Ryan Briscoe, an Australian auto racing driver, gave his point of view on the topic in an article on autosport.com.  Having experienced an aerial crash of his own, he believes a closed cockpit design would improve the safety of the drivers. Briscoe stated, “If you look at major open-wheel injuries in the past decade, they have come because of an open cockpit.”

It is unfortunate that it sometimes takes a tragedy to uncover problems.  Hopefully, these mistakes can be caught now to prevent other accidents from occurring in the future.

By Sara Hollands
shollands@baltimoregp.com

After the death of Dan Wheldon in the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) on October 16, 2011, many drivers felt compelled to help out Wheldon’s wife and two young children.  Graham Rahal was one IndyCar individual in particular who greatly helped.

Rahal wanted to raise some money for the Wheldon family, so he decided to auction off his helmet from the championship at LVMS.  He announced the auctioning on Twitter and gained immediate attention.  Rahal got responses from not only other IndyCar drivers, but also from those outside of the racing community. In an article from The Daily Journal, San Mateo County’s Homepage, Rahal was quoted:

“I thought we would have a lot of support and a pretty good turnout of people saying ’We’ll give this’ or ’We’ll give that,’ but for it to get as large as it has — nobody ever expected this.”

Rahal and his girlfriend, Laken Kurtz, began running the auction from their home; however, because of the overwhelming response, they had to outsource.  The Internet domain registrar and Web hosting company, GoDaddy.com, helped Rahal with an eBay account, who waived all fees, and got him in touch with Auction Cause, an auction management agency.

Wheldon Family Trust Fund Homepage

The Wheldon Family Trust Fund is marketed through its Twitter account, @DWheldonAuction, where followers are alerted on newly posted items in the auction on the eBay website.

It is amazing what can be accomplished from an idea, compassion, and the power of the Internet.

By: Sara Hollands
shollands@baltimoregp.com

On Sunday, October 16, media blew up from the news of the death of IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from a 15 car pile-up, with Wheldon’s car flying over another and tragically hitting the catch fence.

Photo from http://www.heraldsun.com.au/

During the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix held on Labor Day weekend, Dan Wheldon commentated on the race.  Also, Sam Schmidt’s #77 car did race that weekend; however, it was driven by Alex Tagliani.  Family, friends, and fans of Dan Wheldon and the IndyCar series are in our thoughts through this difficult time.

Read the full story on ESPN.com.

By Sara Hollands
shollands@baltimoregp.com



Photo by Christopher Sieradzan

The Baltimore Grand Prix (BGP) would like to say thank you to all of the race fans, Baltimore community members, and surrounding area residents who came out to support their event in Baltimore, MD on Labor Day weekend!

Ihe IZOD Indy Car Series raced at the inaugural IndyCar Baltimore Grand Prix and the results were as follows:

1. Will Power
2. Oriol Servia
3. Tony Kanaan
4. Dario Franchitti
5. Scott Dixon

The Baltimore Grand Prix was exciting for everyone, even the IndyCar drivers.  This was best expressed by the winner, Will Power, in the article Will Power wins the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix in the Baltimore Sun:

“This feels like one of my best wins.  The atmosphere — this is the best podium ceremony I’ve ever had in my career — massive! So many people. On my cool-down lap, I looked at every stand, absolutely full. They put on the best race we have had all year, really impressed, really impressed”

The BGP knew that this event would be a success, but were pleasantly surprised at the outcome and community involvement.  Even racecar fans from other states traveled to Baltimore to witness a part of history.  On September 7, Charlie Anti commented on the Baltimore Grand Prix Facebook wall:

“AWESOME event! I drove down from Pittsburgh and was my first time in Baltimore. The atmosphere was amazing and I had a blast exploring the city!”

Thank you IZOD IndyCar Series, race fans, and community for all of your love and support toward Baltimore!

By: Sara Hollands
shollands@baltimoregp.com