Oriol Servia shown driving the #25 Andretti Autosport previously driven by Justin Wilson. [Joe Jennings Photo]
Sonoma, Calif. – The Verizon IndyCar Series season finale at the Sonoma Raceway was to have been a festive occasion but the death of Justin Wilson completely changed the atmosphere, to include the mood of everyone ranging from drivers to officials to owners to the media to the fans and on and on.
Wilson was so well-liked in all circles and series, his passing affected anyone that had ever come in contact with him.
In his memory, Marco Andretti drove Wilson’s No. 25 Andretti Autosport Honda across the Golden Gate Bridge on Thursday. At the home ballpark of the San Francisco Giants, the six IndyCar title contenders donned No. 25 Giants’ shirts during pre-race ceremonies, which included a moment of silence in honor of Wilson.
American Honda Motor Company, Inc., and Honda Performance Development announced plans to contribute to the Wilson Children’s Fund based on laps completed by all Honda entries in this weekend’s GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma Verizon IndyCar Series season finale at Sonoma Raceway.
The Wilson Children’s Fund was established this week to benefit the surviving daughters of Wilson, who died on Monday as a result of injuries sustained last weekend in a racing accident at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania.
American Honda and HPD will contribute $50 per lap completed at Sonoma by each of the 13 Honda entries at this weekend’s race for a possible donation of just over $55,000 to the Wilson Children’s Fund.
“Justin was a valuable member of our racing program, but he also was our friend, and all of us at American Honda and HPD grieve together at his loss,” said Art St. Cyr, president of Honda Performance Development. “We’re hoping to honor his memory with this pledge, and hope that Justin’s many fans and friends can also assist the family at this tragic time.”
IndyCar Series veteran Oriol Servia, Wilson’s close friend, will drive the #25 Andretti Autosport car, formerly piloted by Wilson, this weekend.
“This is the most difficult quote I have ever had to make,” Servia said. “The situation is so difficult, on so many levels and for obvious reasons, it’s hard for the words to come out the right way. I have known and raced Justin for more than 10 years. I have an enormous amount of respect for him as a racer, but his qualities as a human were definitely an inspiration to anyone who ever met him. As I said earlier this week, I truly feel he was one of these souls who has evolved a lot more than the rest of us, and it is something you could feel immediately during your first exchange with him. He will be greatly missed as we all try to emulate his spirit. I am honored and emotional with the opportunity of driving his car this weekend.
I want to thank my friends at Andretti Autosport for the opportunity, and I want to express how deeply touched I am by the desire of Julia, Stefan and all the Wilson family to have me driving the No. 25. ”
Said Stefan Wilson, brother to Justin. “His path and Justin’s crossed in many different ways through the years. As a competitor, and also as a person, he carries Justin’s spirit well, and we know that Justin would approve.”
“Justin was a true racer and advocate to our sport,” said Andretti Autosport team owner Michael Andretti. “The entire Andretti Autosport family will have the Wilson family and friends in our hearts as we look to honor him in the way he’d want us to, which is doing what we love – racing.”
For the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, all the cars carried a commemorative decal, and Servia’s car’s adornment sported signage that read: #BADASSWILSON.
Also, specially printed t-shirts were on sale with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to the Wilson Children’s Fund.
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