Brudenell: Justin Wilson’s memory will live on in racing

Justin Wilson, who died Monday after a crash at Pocono Raceway, will be carried around California’s Sonoma Raceway on the helmets of his mates and on their cars this weekend.

His “BadassWilson” logo and the Union Jack will be up to speed within a few laps.

Open-wheel racing is the rarified place he belonged to and where his memory and influence will remain through the years.

If Dan Wheldon was the prince of the Verizon IndyCar Series, then Wilson was its Cultural Attache.

He was diplomat who promoted the series, a creative mind, a good friend yet fierce competitor — a Renaissance Man of Racing who was admired by all.

Wilson died doing what he loved and cherished — driving a single-seat, open-wheel race car.

He was blessed with a gift few have. His world was 220 miles per hour. He felt fortunate to live in it.

Mark Twain wrote: “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”

Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves, who spoke to reporters as drivers prepared for Sunday’s season-finale GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, said: “A friend to everyone in the paddock, Justin was the kind of race car driver that everyone should want to be. He was a winning driver, a fan favorite and someone that we were all proud to know.”

Wilson was 37 and wanted to run at least another three or four years in IndyCar. He was driving part-time for Andretti Autosport at the time of his death.

Wilson was a consummate pro and a gentle giant, at 6-feet-2.

“We lost an amazing human being in Justin Wilson and we will all miss him to no end,” Target Chip Ganassi Racing veteran Scott Dixon told reporters.

Wilson won seven races in his combined Champ Car/IndyCar career, not as many as Castroneves and Dixon, but every one savored.

Had he driven for Penske or Ganassi on a full-time basis, the victories would have come more readily.

“Justin was the epitome of a great guy, an incredible teammate, great father and a wonderful friend,” Graham Rahal told reporters. “My time spent with him will forever be time I cherish, and I learned more from him than any other teammate I ever had.”

Wilson, winner of the 2008 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, was there for anyone who wanted some advice, direction, just a simple chat.

On the racetrack, he was one of the fairest and bravest open-wheel drivers of his generation, starved of the best equipment much of the time but always ringing the most out of his ride.

If you ran wheel to wheel with Wilson, you knew you could dive into a turn inches apart and exit the same way.

“I know we are going to Sonoma with a heavy heart following the passing of our friend, Justin Wilson,” Simon Pagenaud told reporters. “The news (of his death) was a stark reminder that, although we love this sport, it can also be very cruel.”

Wilson realized racing giveth and taketh away. All drivers sign up for that.

But from his junior formula days in Europe, his brief stint in Formula 1 and his merry-go-round ride in IndyCar, Wilson showed flashes of brilliance and tenacity that endeared him to the paddock and pits.

“Justin was a racer and one of the great ambassadors of our sport,” said young British driver Jack Hawksworth (A.J. Foyt Racing). “Knowing that, I’m sure he would be pushing for all to put on a great show this weekend.”

In Homer’s Iliad, it says: “Life and death are balanced on the edge of a razor.”

It is true in motor sports, and drivers accept the risks.

“I tell people, it’s kind of the reality of the sport,” Montoya told the Free Press earlier this week. “Justin was a great person, and you can see that by how people have responded to him. But racers will race and if you are not willing to accept the risks, you shouldn’t be driving.”

Justin Wilson knew those risks and accepted them.

While he died racing, the sport gave him the focus and energy to live life well.

“People living deeply have no fear of death,” wrote the Cuban American author Anais Nin.

Contact Mike Brudenell: mbrudenell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikebrudenell.