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British IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon, who died in a fiery, high-speed 15-car crash in Las Vegas, is the latest in a long and tragic list of race drivers who died behind the wheel.

Hundreds of drivers, in various forms of motor racing, have been killed in crashes during races and practice, along with spectators and track officials.

Motor racing bodies have gradually introduced a range of safety measures and rule changes that have helped reduce the number of racing fatalities but have not been able to completely prevent them.

Motor racing's blackest day was at Le Mans in 1955 when Pierre Levegh crashed and his car catapulted into the crowd, killing the driver and more than 80 spectators.

DEADLY PAST

F1, the sport's premier class, was littered with deaths during the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's and the victims including some of the sport's most successful and popular drivers. Scotsman Jim Clark won the World championship twice (1963 and 1965) but died in an F2 crash in Germany in 1968.

In 1982 Canadian Jacques Villenueve was killed during qualifying for the Belgian G when he drove into the back of a slower car and was launched into a crash fence.

The most recent driver to be killed in F1 was Brazilian three-time World champion Ayrton Senna, killed during the San Marino GP a day after Roland Ratzenberger was killed at the same track during qualifying.

The previous driver to die in IndyCar before Wheldon was Paul Dana, killed during the warm-up for the 2006 season-opener in Miami. Nascar lost one of its favourite sons when Dale Earnhardt crashed into the wall on the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001 and was killed.

Race driver Dan Wheldon has died after a horrific 15 car accident during the Las Vegas Indy 300 series finale at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 33-year-old British born Wheldon died after injuries he sustained during the accident when his car went flying through the air into a fence before bursting into flames. Wheldon was a two time Indianapolis 500 winner, 2003 rookie of the year and a 16-time IndyCar race winner.

Three other drivers including JR Hilderbrand, Pippa Mann and Will Power were injured in the crash. Officials called off the race immediately after the accident and after learning of Wheldon’s death, his fellow drivers went on to perform a five-lap run in his honour. The fatal crash came soon after some drivers voiced their concerns about the dangerous speeds reached at the Las Vegas circuit, as cars were traveling at up to 225 miles per hour during practice. Some drivers have called the crash the very worst they have ever seen.

IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard issued a statement saying that IndyCar “is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries.”

British Formula One drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton described Wheldon as a “talented and inspirational” driver.
Dan Wheldon is survived by his wife Susie and two sons Sebastian, two, and Oliver, six-months old.

Btw the first pic isn't dan Wheldon, its Tomas Scheckter

Race driver Dan Wheldon was killed when his head hit a fence post at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway - contact that created a "non-survivable injury" to the double Indianapolis 500 winner.