Bourdais injured in massive crash at Indy

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Sebastien Bourdais suffered "multiple fractures to his pelvis and a fracture to his right hip" after a massive impact with the wall at Indianapolis on Saturday.

The Dale Coyne Racing driver was on his four-lap qualifying run and gunning for a spot in Sunday's Fast Nine Shootout when he lost the rear of his car in the middle of Turn 2 on his third lap.

The former Toro Rosso F1 driver was actually on course to set the fastest average speed before the crash.

Bourdais' Dallara hit the wall at an acute angle before rolling and eventually coming to a halt on the back strait.

It was a massive blow,a s the video below demonstrates, which ripped off the entire right side of the car, but Bourdais remained conscious and alert as the rescue team went to work to extract the unfortunate driver.

Indycar issued the following statement on the driver's condition last night.

"Verizon IndyCar Series driver Sebastien Bourdais was diagnosed with multiple fractures to his pelvis and a fracture to his right hip following an incident today while attempting to qualify for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

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"According to INDYCAR Medical Director Dr. Geoffrey Billows, Bourdais will undergo surgery on his pelvis this evening at IU Health Methodist Hospital. Bourdais was on the third lap of his qualification run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when his Dale Coyne Racing No. 18 GEICO Honda made hard contact with the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier.

Statement from team owner Dale Coyne: "Sebastien is in good hands here at IU Methodist Hospital with the staff and now we just wait for him to recover."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.