INDYCAR News and Notes – Sept. 11, 2015
1. Rahal Sets Million-Dollar Goal for Auction to Benefit Wilson Family: Graham Rahal has a lofty goal for an online auction to raise money for Justin Wilson’s family – bring in $1 million to the Wilson Children’s Fund. While the eBay auction doesn’t launch until Sept. 14, there’s reason to believe the goal can be met.
The racing helmet of Wilson’s Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay pre-sold at a charity event during the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma race weekend Aug. 28-30.
And though the nearly $25,000 that Hunter-Reay’s helmet brought to the fund won’t count toward Rahal’s million-dollar goal, the hope is that the sale of other race-used helmets from Verizon IndyCar Series drivers could bring as much, if not more, money to the cause. Wilson died Aug. 24 from a head injury sustained in a race the day before.
As Rahal did following the death of fellow Verizon IndyCar Series driver Dan Wheldon in 2011, he has partnered with eBay and online auction facilitator Auction Cause to conduct the online auction of all memorabilia, with proceeds going directly to the Wilson Children’s Fund.
Items signed by legends such as Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt were donated and teams and drivers throughout the racing world have pledged additional articles. Rahal reported on social media that Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton is donating the firesuit he wore while driving to victory in the Sept. 6 Italian Grand Prix and F1 driver Jenson Button is donating his race-worn helmet from the event. A one-of-a-kind original painting of Wilson’s car by noted artist Bill Patterson will also be made available.
“There will be items up for auction you simply cannot buy or get access to anywhere else,” Rahal said.
Through eBay’s direct involvement, all transaction fees will be waived and all proceeds will be deposited into the Wilson Children’s Fund, which benefits Wilson’s wife, Julia, and daughters Jane and Jessica.
For auction updates or to contribute directly to the Wilson Children’s Fund, visitWilsonChildrensFund.com. Contributions may also be mailed to: Wilson Children’s Fund, c/o Forum Credit Union, P.O. Box 50738, Indianapolis, IN 46250-0738.
Tribute T-shirts and decals, with proceeds also going to the fund, are available athttp://shop.ims.com/indycar/
2. Friends, Family Remember Wilson at Funeral: The Union Jack-draped coffin of Justin Wilson was carried into St James the Great Church in Paulerspury, England, for a service Sept. 10 attended by hundreds of family, friends and members of the international racing community, including reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, retired champion Dario Franchitti and Formula One legend Sir Jackie Stewart.
Wilson succumbed Aug. 24 to a head injury sustained in a Verizon IndyCar Series race a day earlier. He was 37.
A poem by Wilson’s wife, Julia, entitled “Today I Washed You Away,” was read aloud during the service in which she wrote, “It’s not fair you had such a short life.”
Formula One driver Jonathan Palmer – Wilson’s former manager – delivered the eulogy, telling mourners that “Justin died doing something he loved. He wasn’t in denial about the risks.”
Following the service, a wake was held at the nearby Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire. Wilson had moved to Northampton from his boyhood home in Sheffield to further his motorsports career. A memorial service in Indianapolis will be held later this month.
3. Verizon IndyCar Series Test at Road America Open to Public: Fans and media will have a chance to preview the return of Indy car racing to the historic Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wis., on Sept. 22, as several teams from the Verizon IndyCar Series will take part in a test session.
The test is in advance of Indy car racing’s return to the revered road course for the Road America Grand Prix, June 23-26, 2016. Admission to the test session is $20, with 50 percent of every ticket sold going to the Wilson Children’s Fund to benefit the family of the late Justin Wilson. Road America season pass holders will be admitted with a $10 donation to the fund. Fans will also be able to make additional contributions on site.
The test session will run from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. Fans can watch from many locations surrounding the 14-turn, 4-mile road course, however the paddock will be open only to the teams.
This will mark the only test session open to the public before race weekend in June. Teams scheduled to participate include AJ Foyt Racing, CFH Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Team Penske. A second test at Road America is scheduled for Sept. 28.
To purchase tickets for the test session, visit www.roadamerica.com or call (800) 365-7223.
4. Crowdfunding Effort Succeeds, Rayhall Competing in Indy Lights Finale Weekend: It took a successful crowdfunding effort for 20-year-old American Sean Rayhall to be able to compete in this weekend’s Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires doubleheader finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Now the Georgia native looks to continue the success he has generated in a part-time ride this season with 8Star Motorsports.
Rayhall has only driven in seven Indy Lights races this season, but won twice – the second weekend races on the road courses at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – and has two more top-five finishes. He was third fastest in the opening day of testing Sept. 10 at Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.
He is thankful for the GoFundMe.com initiative that succeeded, in part due to several anonymous individuals involved in the Verizon IndyCar Series who were among the contributors. Rayhall also turned to GoFundMe.com to secure an entry in the Freedom 100 in May, when he finished sixth on the IMS oval.
“I am really fortunate to have (sponsors) Bass Egg and Silver Arrow Technologies on board, along with the crowdfunding effort that went in to do this,” Rayhall said, “and to be around such a great team like 8Star Motorsports. We haven’t done any testing, which is a handicap at this level of competition, and we’ve been able to have two wins out of seven starts. That’s unheard of.”
All three rungs of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder series are conducting doubleheader finales at Laguna Seca. Live timing and scoring and track audio are available for all sessions at Racecontrol.Indycar.com. Live streaming video will be available for all the Sept. 12 and 13 races on the same site.
5. Of Note: Jack “J.D.” Housby, a longtime friend and sponsor of A.J. Foyt, died Sept. 10 in Iowa after a battle with cancer. Housby attended 65 consecutive Indianapolis 500 Mile Races and was known for being Foyt’s golf cart passenger on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway grounds and for holding court on the cart outside Foyt’s garage in Gasoline Alley. He was 80.
Sources: Mike Kitchel/Verizon IndyCar Series PR