Pocono – Race: Justin Wilson in a coma after a head injury

The nature of the 2015 Pocono IndyCar race is the opposite of 2014. While Montoya had broken the record for the fastest race last year, this year incidents piled up on the famous triangular oval. Only 10 cars crossed the finish line.

Several drivers were involved in accidents, including Graham Rahal, second in the championship. Sage Karam was admitted to the hospital following a violent head-on collision, while Justin Wilson is in critical condition after being hit on the helmet by a piece of Karam’s car. The English driver appears to have lost consciousness. His car, out of control, hit the inner wall of the circuit before coming to a stop.

The departure

At the start of the penultimate race of the year, only 9 points separate Juan Pablo Montoya, who has been leading the championship since the beginning of the season, from his runner-up Graham Rahal. After 2 false starts, the first 4 drivers are 4 abreast at the first corner; Will Power inside Simon Pagenaud, Helio Castroneves, and Joseph Newgarden who jumps from his 4th position to take the lead.

Sébastien Bourdais starts 10th and Tristan Vautier 13th. The championship leader, Juan Pablo Montoya is only 19th on the grid after a failed qualifying session.

A series of accidents

Sébastien Bourdais is one of the first to make a mistake. During a restart, the Frenchman gets caught on the outside of a corner, in the dirty part of the track, and loses control of his car, just like Helio Castroneves later in the race.

On lap 85, Charlie Kimball hits Jack Hawksworth after the latter lost control of his car. The image is impressive, but both drivers emerge unscathed.

On the 94th lap, it’s a disaster for Graham Rahal, 2nd in the championship. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver is sandwiched between Wilson and Vautier. The American and the Frenchman crash violently into the wall and retire. A heated discussion ensues between the two drivers on the side of the track. Rahal accuses Vautier of attempting a reckless maneuver while the Frenchman complains of being squeezed.

The shock

The last crash is one of the most impressive. Sage Karam, then leader of the race, spins out and violently hits the wall head-on. All the drivers manage to avoid him, but a large piece of bodywork, the nose of the Ganassi, bounces and hits Justin Wilson in the head.

Sage Karam takes time to get out of his car. The American is stunned, he is taken to the hospital by ambulance for a pain in his foot. The scene is more worrisome for Justin Wilson, who does not respond to rescue teams. The Englishman is airlifted in critical condition.

Precedents

The Pocono race saw violent crashes with no consequences for the drivers. Wilson’s case serves as a reminder, if needed, that no one is safe from an unfortunate turn of events in IndyCar, just as in F1. This accident occurs just over a month after the death of Jules Bianchi, who remained in a coma for several months after his head injury.

In July 2009, Felipe Massa survived a head injury followed by a violent crash in Formula 1. A suspension spring from another car had struck him at high speed. He remained in a coma for several hours. The previous week, Henry Surtees was less fortunate in Formula 2. The young Englishman was hit directly on the helmet by a wheel lost by another competitor. The son of the legendary John Surtees died the same day from his injuries.

The “greatest”

Justin Wilson, at 1.93m, is the tallest driver to have started a Formula 1 Grand Prix. He competed in the 2003 season with Minardi and Jaguar after winning the Formula 3000 championship in 2001. He is a double runner-up in Champ Car behind Sébastien Bourdais and has 3 wins in IndyCar since the merger in 2008.

The Englishman was racing in a small team these past few years. While he was without a ride at the beginning of 2015, he managed to secure the sought-after Andretti No. 25 seat for the end of the season. He is expected to keep his place in 2016.

The championship

Juan Pablo Montoya finishes 3rd and extends his lead in the championship with 34 points ahead of Graham Rahal. The victory in the final race at Sonoma next week is worth 100 points.