Justin Wilson has died of head injuries sustained in last Sunday's Indycar race at Pocono in the US.
The British driver, who was 37, had been lingering in a coma after suffering a traumatic head injury when he was struck by a large piece of debris flying off the car of Sage Karam after it had made contact with the wall. Wilson, who raced for Andretti Autosport in Indycar, was immediately airlifted to Allentown, Pennsylvania, hospital.
Andretti Autosport team owner, Michael Andretti, issued the following statement:
“Justin was a tremendous racer, a valuable member of the team and respected representative to our sport. While Justin was only part of the Andretti lineup for a short time, it only took a second for him to forever become part of the Andretti family."
In a family statement posted on Justin Wilsons's website, his wife, along with his parents, Keith and Lynne, and his brother Stefan – also an Indycar driver – said he had been “a loving father and devoted husband, as well as a highly competitive racing driver”.
Many former and current cilleagues paid tribute on Twitter to the memory of Justin Wilson.
"The motorsport world comes to a standstill once again," wrote Jenson Button. "Justin Wilson was a great person and racing driver. My thoughts are with his family.
"Last night a very good man left us. Mate. So sorry. RIP Justin. My thoughts are with your loved ones," wrote former Jaguar team mate Mark Webber.
"Tough day in motorsport today as we lose another great person and driver," posted Juan Pablo Montoya. "RIP Justin. You will be miss. Thought and prayers for his family."
Justin Wilson, from Sheffield, had raced in Formula 1 in 2003, driving for Minardi and Jaguar Racing, and achieving his best result at the US Grand Prix where he finished 8th.
Unable to sustain a career in F1 he subsequently crossed the Atlantic to compete in Champ Car from 2004 to 2007, and then in Indycar. His 12-year span in the US brought him a total of 12 victories.
A serious accident at Mid-Ohio in 2011 had sidelined the talented driver for several months, bit upon his return in 2012 he said he had never questioned his racing career.
“You’ve got to know the risks and work out if those risks are acceptable. To me, it’s acceptable,” he said.
“But I’m not going to stop trying to improve it. All the drivers, this IndyCar, we’re always trying to make it safer, but at the end of the day, it’s a race car.
“We’re racing hard, we’re racing IndyCars and it’s fast. When it goes wrong, it can get messy.”
