Racing car constructor Dallara has confirmed that its new IndyCar chassis will be named in honour of the late Dan Wheldon.
Wheldon died from head injuries sustained in the 15-car pile-up at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Monday.
In light of the testing work that Wheldon completed in the new car, set to be introduced next year, company chairman Gianpaolo Dallara said that he deserves the recognition.
“Dan lives in the memory of everybody at Dallara. He has been a true champion; not only because of his many victories, but and above everything else, because he has been a true and warm man to all the people he encountered,” said Dallara.
“All people at Dallara always enjoyed meeting him in Italy and in the USA. We will honor his memory for the years to come by dedicating the Dallara IndyCar 2012 in his name. He deserves that.”
Wheldon won two Indianapolis 500s, as well sat being the 2005 IndyCar champion. In total, he won 16 races in Dallara chassis.
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Dallara has not confirmed the name of the new car yet, and while a number of names have been floated, the suggestion of ‘DW001’ has received widespread praise.
