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Justin Wilson Takes His Place With The Greatest Team Of All

Justin Wilson at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. [Chris Owens-IMS Photo]

Justin Wilson at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  [Chris Owens-IMS Photo]

 

“Son, a lot of people want to get into this seat; but not so many as want to actually succeed.”

If you saw him on the street you would have guessed his tall, skinny frame fit best on a John Deere tractor somewhere out west. He was lanky and kind of peculiar-looking, like a great big bird that had lit and was smiling down on you.

I remember him from maybe 20 years ago now, when he was just starting out. He had concocted a notion that maybe a race fan or a group of fans would like to buy a piece of a driver’s career—something like buying stock in a bank—and take a slice of his winnings of the next two or three decades.

He ended up with 900 shareholders and raised close to $2 million dollars.

It was a brilliant plan, certainly, and came in a day when not everyone was comfortable with him (for his own sake) doing something like that: just sell shares in yourself like they do on the stock market and pay out a dividend (if there ever were profits) just like that.

“Son, I hate to tell you this, but we have some concerns about you…physically…in the driver’s seat.”

Racing people, for all their bravado and confidence, are still a pretty conservative bunch when it comes to anything but velocity. Sure, there’s lots of great stories about hard-playing guys who love the limelight (for example, James Hunt); but in the car and at speed, these guys don’t like taking chances unless it’s for a big, big reward.

Justin Wilson’s height was a factor in his racing career from beginning to end. You could make a case that a shorter driver in the seat last Sunday at Pocono might have suffered only a glancing blow to the helmet, maybe even nothing of significance would have happened at all.

In point of fact, Justin remains to this day the tallest driver to ever compete behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car. At six feet, four inches tall it is a lot of human body to cram into the molded seat and into the far reaches of the tub without some of it lapping over the top.

He lost chance after chance despite being a great young prodigy, a multi-series champion, when it was time for him to move up to the big leagues. He wound up at Minardi F1, who were lucky to get him quite frankly, and then an underachieving Ford/Jaguar effort that left so much on the table.

“Son, just what have you done to deserve this great opportunity?”

I personally never had a lot of contact with Justin, maybe only once or twice did I have occasion to speak with him or ask him a question, or just kid around with him. I’m the poorer for it, as I know anyone who carried themselves with such dignity as Justin would have been someone I’d want to have as a friend and colleague.

My personal lasting memory of him is on pit-lane at some track somewhere, maybe Iowa, and he was in a group of people—not team people, but just fans I think—standing tall signing autographs with this big wide smile on his face, all white teeth and his face lit up, open and welcoming, happy to be there and a part of something bigger than himself.

“Son, it is going to take tremendous sacrifice on your part to bring you here. Are you willing to do that?”

In 2010, Justin Wilson was badly injured—it was his back—at Mid-Ohio. It took four different drivers to take his place for the rest of the season at Dale Coyne Racing. It also took Justin over a year to fully recuperate.

What makes a man return to an occupation that has nearly left him crippled for life?

What makes a man forsake comfort and a loving, beautiful spouse and family to risk his life for the entertainment of total strangers?

It can only be one thing, that he finds such satisfaction in pursuing that craft as to prohibit him being truly, joyously fulfilled and happy doing anything else.

“Son, let me and my guys think it over. We’ll be in touch.”

Justin Wilson, 37, of Sheffield, South Yorkshire passed away the morning of August 24th, 2015 after suffering fatal brain damage from an accident during the Pocono 500 at Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, PA.

It only took a day for Justin to touch with generosity the lives of some lucky people: Justin’s organs brought renewal to six men and women waiting for transplants.

“Son, I like you. You have some talent, and a bigger heart than I’ve seen in a while. I’ve got one heavenly ride I want you to take a seat in right away. Welcome to our team.”

 

 

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