Dan Wheldon

Daniel Clive Wheldon (22 June 1978 – 16 October 2011) was a British racing driver. He was the 2005 IndyCar Series champion and a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, having won the race in 2005 and 2011. Wheldon died from severe head injuries shortly after a collision during the IZOD IndyCar World Championship on 16 October 2011 at the age of 33.

Early life and career

Daniel Clive Wheldon was born in Emberton, near Olney, Buckinghamshire, England on 22 June 1978. He took up karting at the age of 4 with funding from his father. He progressed through the junior ranks of motor racing during his school years. Attending Bedford School until he completed his GCSEs at age 16, he frequently took time off to race. During his early career in open wheel racing, he developed a rivalry with Jenson Button before ultimately leaving the United Kingdom to race in the United States. The reasoning behind the move was that the level of investment needed to fund his racing career in the UK was beyond his family's resources. Moving to the United States in 1999, he spent several years in lower open-wheeled circuits, such as the U.S. F2000 National Championship, the Toyota Atlantic Championship, and Indy Lights.