Death in Las Vegas: the legend of Dan Wheldon

THE BRITISH racing driver Dan Wheldon has been killed in a
horrendous 15-car collision at the Indy 300 in Las Vegas. Fellow drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are among those paying tribute to a man who was famed across the US but virtually unrecognised at home.

Wheldon, who was 33, grew up in the chocolate-box village of Emberton, near Milton Keynes. He progressed from karting as a child to open-wheel racing where he enjoyed a keen rivalry with the young Jenson Button in the junior formulas.

His parents were wealthy enough to take him that far but could not
afford the level of investment needed to push him further: that's when he moved to the US seeking a cheaper alternative to F1.

Wheldon arrived in America in 1999. Just six years later he won the
Indy 500 – arguably the most prestigious motor racing event in the
world. With his striking good looks and a distinctly un-British swagger, he became the pin-up boy for US motor racing.

Followed constantly by autograph hunters, Wheldon guested on Letterman and threw the opening pitch for the New York Yankees. He once said he preferred living in the US to the UK because it was "easier to get laid".

The adulation continued when Wheldon won the Indy 500 for a second time earlier this year though by then he was a married man, wedding his longstanding personal assistant Susie Behm in 2008. The couple lived in Florida with two sons, the youngest born in March this year.

Yet despite all his achievements, Wheldon remained little-known in the UK where US racing is not big news. It was said the multi-millionaire could walk the streets here without being recognised.

Wheldon was deeply respected by other British drivers. Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton said: "This is an extremely sad day. Dan was a racer I'd followed throughout my career, as I often followed in his footsteps as we climbed the motor sport ladder in the UK.

"He was an extremely talented driver. As a British guy, who not only went over to the States but who twice won the Indy 500, he was... someone that every racing driver looked up to with respect and admiration."

Formula One driver Jenson Button paid tribute to Wheldon on Twitter: "Just woken up to the most horrific news. Dan Wheldon, RIP.

"I have so many good memories of racing with Dan in the early 90s. A true fighter. We've lost a legend in our sport but also a great guy."

Wheldon had many racing years ahead of him still – but had planned his retirement. He told The Independent in 2007 that he planned to use some of his fortune to sponsor a driver from an underprivileged background in the UK. ·