Justin Wilson dies following Pocono shunt: the motorsport roundup [Update]

Update: Just Wilson died in the early hours of Tuesday morning following injuries sustained in a race at Pocono, Pennsylvania.

“With deep sadness, the parents of Justin Wilson, Keith and Lynne, his wife Julia, and his brother Stefan share the news that Justin passed away today after succumbing to injuries suffered during the Verizon IndyCar event at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, August 23,” the Wilson family stated on the former Formula 1 drivers’ website.

“Justin was a loving father and devoted husband, as well as a highly competitive racing driver who was respected by his peers.

“The family would like to thank the staff at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Cedar Crest Hospital,  Pocono Raceway, Andretti Autosport, and the Verizon IndyCar Series as well as the entire racing community for the amazing outpouring of support from fans around the world.”

Wilson was born in Sheffield, UK and after plying his trade in Formula 3000, got his chance with the Minardi team in Formula 1. He also raced for Jaguar, and after 16 races at the top echelon of motorsport, scored a solitary point.

It is the second time this decade IndyCar suffered a death of one of its drivers, after Dan Wheldon succumbed to injuries sustained in 2011.

It was Wilson’s 174th IndyCar race start.

It has been a difficult weekend in motorsport.

Although the Belgian Grand Prix reignited the final phase of the Formula 1 season, in the IndyCar Series, a serious accident has put former Formula 1 driver for Minardi and Jaguar, Justin Wilson, in hospital.

We provide a full update on the Brit’s condition.

Other motorsport series also competed this weekend, including the Formula E circus which took to Donington Park for a test session, while the FIA RallyCross troupe took to the undulating pastures of Hell, Norway.

1. IndyCar Series: Justin Wilson in critical condition after IndyCar shunt

It wasn’t Wilson involved in the crash directly, but he came off worse after Sage Karam hit the wall at Pocono.

A piece of debris from Karam’s car struck the passing Wilson’s helmet. His car, soon after, veered eerily towards the inside wall.

Wilson is is currently in a coma and being held at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Cedar Crest Hospital in Pennsylvania. His condition has not changed since he was removed from his car.

2. IndyCar Series: Ryan Hunter-Reay wins crash-riddled race

With little or no consequence after the news, Ryan Hunter-Reay was first to cross the flag at Pocono, with Josef Newgarden and Juan Pablo Montoya rounding out the podium.

Only 11 drivers finished the race.

3. Formula E: testing resumes before start of second season

It’s testing time for the second season of Formula E, and we’ve seen quite a few changes already.

Jarno Trulli has announced that he will not be racing his own car around the streets of the world, instead employing the services of Salvador Duran.

Additionally, Sam Bird was fastest before Donington was hit by its trademark rain, as he clocked a rather swift 1:30.451 lap.

4. RallyX: Hell duel sees Peugeot double

It’s quite a strange town to host any type of sporting event, but Hell was the venue for the latest FIA RallyCross duel.

Timmy Hansen came out top of the eighth round of the Championship, with Davy Jeanney (Hansen’s team mate) finishing second.

5. Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton wins boring Belgian GP

In what was a horrible tyre battle, Lewis Hamilton beat his teammate Nico Rosberg by a few seconds to claim yet another win.

Sebastian Vettel should’ve finished on the podium but his right rear tyre suffered a blow out after the driver attempted to do a ridiculously long stint on a single set of tyres.

Romain Grosjean took third, while Ferrari and McLaren Honda had another day to forget.

Featured image: Nic Redhead via Flickr