The Days I Meet A Hero

The Last 11 days have been difficult for me. I've seen/met drivers that have died before, Colin McRae and Peter Brock, I was sad for them but it didn't have the Same Effect as this one. The First Indy Racing League season i watched was the 2005 season, where Dan was Dominating. Dan soon become on of my favorite drivers from that point on and coming From England was also a bonus. Every Year I go to Goodwood Festival of Speed and every year expect this year the festival has always run on the same weekend as the ICS. This year though because of the centennial year it was different. They announced several drivers Past and Present. Dario, Scott, Helio. I then posted on there Facebook page "Dan Wheldon" and to my surprise got a response pretty quickly saying "Where working on something" . Needless to Say the next few days they confirmed it. When i told my family and Friends that i was going to the festival, they was like "oh you will get to see Hamilton and Button". i was thinking to myself yeah Dan, Dario, Scott and Helio.

I remember the 1st day i was there i didn't see any off the ICS drivers apart from on the Track with the exception of Kenny Brack, who is one of my favourite C.A.R.T drivers with PT and Zanardi. Then at the end of the day i was walking through the row of cars in the F1 paddocks when i looked up to the next row, which was the IndyCar row where there was lots of people and saw Twinkle Toes Castroneves. I went over there to get his autograph when i realized Dan was also there, In between Dixon's 2008 Ganassi car and EJ Viso's KV car. I had 4 photos i had in my hand and i remember saying to myself "Don't be greedy just give him one". As i said that he took all 4 and signed them all. I said Thank You, to which he smile, which almost blinded me, lol. I looked at Viso's car and asked Dan, "is EJ here". "No" he said to which i replied "Good job really he would have crashed like usually". Too which he laugh. I then asked him if he was here tomorrow which he was going to be as i have a car he could sign.



I liked how he signed each one different to which car number it was

The Next day I saw him in the morning getting ready for his morning run. He was in a fenced of area doing a TV interview. I shouted Dan which he looked over. I had my Car in front of me. Eddie Cheever was wondering up and down the fence signing and i asked him to get Dan to come over. He looked over at Dan saw he was i an interview and said "He will come over, Trust Me" then walked of. 5 Minutes must of passed now and the time was nearing for him to get back in his car. He finished the Interview then ran straight over to me past Johnny Rutherford's 1980 Indy 500 winning Chaparral, Bobby Unser's 1981 indy winning penske, Lotus-Pratt & Whitney 56 'STP Special' driven at the event by Parnelli Jones, too where i was standing and Signed my car. Nothing else mattered that day. Knowing Dan came straight over to me from where he was doing the interview about 30 yards to Sign my 2005 Indy 500 winning car, when it would have been easier for him to walk 5 or so yards to the fence and work his way up to me. That put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.






Knowing that I actually met one of my Favorite drivers and knowing he was 1 of the 2 drivers i regard as being totally awesome with the fans and Knowing everyone else felt the same way helped me deal with this tragedy. The second driver was Helio. Those two had all the time in the world for you.