Justin Wilson laid to rest in Northamptonshire

IndyCar racer Justin Wilson has been laid to rest, two weeks after his death in a crash at Pocono Raceway in the US.

Wilson was struck by debris from a single car accident during the IndyCar race on August 24th, and succumbed to his injuries the following day. After being flown home, the former F1 race driver was buried in the graveyard at St James the Great Church, Paulerspury in Northamptonshire. He is survived by his wife Julia and two children.

The 37 year old raced for Jaguar and Minardi in 2003, scoring one championship point at that year’s US Grand Prix. Switching to IndyCar, he won several races between 2004 & 2012, and also scored a win at the Daytona 24 Hours in 2012. The pallbearers at his funeral today included former F1 teammate Mark Webber and retired IndyCar legend Dario Franchitti.

Team boss at Red Bull Racing, who Justin raced for under the Jaguar name, is Christian Horner. He spoke about the mark Justin left on everyone at their Milton Keynes factory:

“There are many sad faces at the factory today. Justin left his mark on many who worked with him during the Jaguar days; he is remembered fondly for the kind and humble person he was.

“Having known Justin since his karting days on the British circuits, it was always obvious to me that he was destined for great things in motorsport. His progress through the lower formulas was impressive and he absolutely flourished in F3000. Justin tested for the Arden Team, before securing a seat with Nordic Racing and went on to win the championship convincingly.

“I followed his successful career with interest over the years. Justin will be remembered not only as a talented driver but also as quite simply one of the nicest blokes in motorsport.

“The thoughts of everyone at Infiniti Red Bull Racing are with Justin’s parents Keith and Lynne, his brother Stefan, his wife Julia and his two young daughters. He will be sadly missed."

Toro Rosso, the current incarnation of Wilson’s former Minardi team, also expressed their sympathies at Wilson’s passing:

“The Englishman’s Formula 1 career started in 2003, here in Faenza with the Minardi Team. Therefore many of our Scuderia Toro Rosso team members worked with Justin back then, and remember him as a friendly, gentle person and talented true racer. It’s a very sad day.

“On behalf of the entire team, I offer our sincerest condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time."