Just as we went to press last month, we heard the tragic news of Dan Wheldon’s fatal accident in the season-ending Indycar race at Las Vegas. While I didn’t know Wheldon—or even follow his career very closely—I found his death profoundly saddening. Not to sound callous, but I was a little surprised by this as I had convinced myself that a lifetime in and around motorsport had hardened me to the darker side of our sport.
Of course, it was not always this way. The 1970s were a significantly dangerous time in professional motorsport, with numerous drivers losing their lives before the “safety crusade” could really effect any lasting change. But I was really still just a kid during that decade and while building a voracious appetite for Formula One, I really wasn’t well versed enough yet to know the players or fully appreciate the risks.
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