Milk Never Tasted So Good ! Congratulations Dan Wheldon

[Chris24]

May I be the first on here to congratulate our very own Dan Wheldon on his excellent Indianapolis 500 victory.

Milk never tasted so good. But I bet they are drinking something else in large quantities in Emberton tonight.

What a great race, looked for a while like Danica Patrick was actually going to pull off the win, but lack of fuel meant she couldn't run it full rich at the end and she finished 4th ! But she became the first lady to ever lead the Indy 500.

[Chris24]

Dan in Victory Lane

[Chris24]

Dan

[Fran]

Not sure who Dan is, but well done anyway !    He is a bit of a cutie.

F

My german isnt too good, but doesnt "klein" mean small? - unfortunate sponsor placement!!  

[Perdu]

well above the waistline fran dearest, try NOT to worry

 



see me later if you have a problem

[Chris24]

Dan comes from Emberton, Buckinghamshire, England, so i imagine that the Jim Beam is flowing there alot tonight.

In fact I think I will go and pour a glass myself !

This ones for you Dan !

[amazing 1]

Job well done,he stayed near the front all day.He now lives here in
St.Petersburg,Fl.Maybe I can track him down and have a Jim Beam
and ginger ale.

[Kate Shaw]

TEAM CENTRIX DRIVER JUNQUEIRA TO HAVE SURGERY AFTER SPINAL INJURY DUE TO CONTACT; BOURDAIS FINISHED 12TH AFTER CONTACT WITH 1.5 LAPS TO GO IN INDY 500 WHILE FIFTH

Carl Haas, Co-Owner of Newman/Haas Racing: "Today's incident was very unfortunate. Bruno had been running an excellent race and he was very happy with the performance of the racecar. He was running in sixth place when on lap 77 there was contact made with the lapped car of A.J. Foyt IV. This is certainly not the way we had hoped to end the month of May, but Bruno is in the very capable hands of Dr. Terry Trammel and the medical team at Methodist Hospital. Thankfully, Bruno was conscious after the incident and the extent of his injuries and best course of treatment are still being determined."

Bruno Junqueira, No. 36 Team CENTRIX Honda/Panoz/Firestone: According to Dr. Henry Bock, IRL and IMS senior director of medical services: Bruno Junqueira has been diagnosed with a concussion and fractures of the T-12 and L-1 vertebras that will require surgery on Monday. He is stable and in fair condition at Methodist Hospital. Junqueira was unavailable for a statement.

Bruno lost the entire season and may be crippled for life, racing in a pointless race where he was rammed by a backmarker.  I hate oval racing.

[Dave H]

Bruno lost the entire season and may be crippled for life, racing in a pointless race where he was rammed by a backmarker.  I hate oval racing.

Somehow I think the 500,000 in attendance and the many millions watching probably didn't find it pointless.  Unless you've been there you would likely be very surprised what a spectacle it is.  What absolutely perfect weather today!

As for Mr Wheldon - his Mrs, Amber, works at my hair salon here in Indy.  Needless to say she's a right dirty little strump.  I've been stalking her for years now!  

[Chris24]

The only thing pointless with Indy, is the fact that Foyt still things that his grandson can drive a race car and keeps entering him.

He was the cause of the Junqueira crash.

A J, needs to wake up and smell the coffee, sack is grandson and give the ride to someone who actually has talent.

[johnevans3]

Well, I got back home last night at 1AM from the Indy 500 and had a great time.  It's not Le Mans but it is a spectacular event.  There was no doubt that Danica was the crowd favorite.  Sorry Danny Boy, she just looks better than you and had she had enought fuel she would have whipped your butt boy.   Oh, the might have beens!!!  As noted below on a press release, when she took the lead, there wasn't an occupied seat in the house.

INDIANAPOLIS - Danica Patrick barreled down the front straightaway, dipped toward the inside wall and surged past Dan Wheldon to claim the lead at the     Indianapolis 500. The fans — 300,000 or so — went into a frenzy. They were on their feet all the way around the massive, venerable track, yelling and waving caps in a stirring reminder of the days when drivers named Mario, A.J. and Emerson ruled this place. After a decade of strife and waning interest, the Indy 500 couldn't have asked for anything more.

Hope you folks across the pond had a chance to see it.  It was a great race for a change.

[Chris24]

Hi John,

Yes i watched, and as a matter of fact the replay is on my tv as i type this.

I also taped it and hopefully someone at work is going to transfer it to DVd for me later this week, so I can keep a good copy of it.

I am wearing my signed Dan Wheldon t shirt today and the signed flag is hanging in my front window.

[Fax]

Didn't see any of it but full congrats to Dan, chatted with him a few years ago in Dave H's suite at IMS and seems like a really good bloke, and as Dave mentioned his girlfriend is a little stunner.  Personally I was getting a bit weary of hearing Danica's name, until she actually wins something she's still just another Sarah Fisher or Janet Guthrie.  The mainstream media like's to jump all over the latest girl racer du jour and just wears her name out.  As for Foyt's grandson, unfortunately this is going to remain a big problem with the IRL as long as the grids are mostly filled out with a bunch of no-hopers & rent-a-drivers.  Really there are just a handfull of guys in the IRL with any real talent and the rest are a 220 MPH accident waiting to happen. Eventually your going to get caught up in some guys brain fart while lapping him and thats what happened to Bruno.  Kate actually put it in pretty good perspective, Bruno could be facing the rest of his life as a cripple, for what?  I remember when James Hunt was offered a ride at Indy and declined it saying "I have a not unreasonable desire to leave this sport alive and inact"
Fax

[Matt Harper]

Just a couple of personal observations on this topic.
To state that the Indy 500 is pointless is like saying Le Mans, The US Masters, Wimbledon Fortnight, The FA Cup Final, The Monaco GP, The Tour De France etc, etc are also without point. The Indy 500 is an awesome spectacle and has always been a blue ribband event, even when it was without championship status.
Bruno's crash was horrible and he was taken-out by a driver who is clearly not qualified to run in an event like this - but check out the list of drivers at Le Mans and you will find equally inept, but financially qualified participants. Nothing new here.
During the preamble to the 500, Gerry Punch interviewed Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon - and hardly gave Dan any mike-time at all - just fawning over Kanaan. Wheldon seemed a lot more confident than Tony, in my view. Good for him.
I was very impressed by Danika Patrick, aside from her under-yellow blunder which took out a potential race winner - but a forgivable rookie mistake. Over-hyped - yes, but she showed she had the mettle to finish 4th and that is some achievement.
Finally to John Evans - I'm envious of you buddy! Welcome to the exclusive club that is "Double Vision" (Indy/Le Mans in the same year). Did it several times in late 80's and early 90's. Dave H holds record for number of participations, but Fax, Ricardo and yours truly (and many others, I'm sure) welcome you!  

[smokie]

Dan made the front page of today's Thunderer. Link follows http://tinyurl.com/92eq5 but I think you need to register (Free)