Justin Wilson, D&R, IndyCar 2011

Justin Wilson broke his back crashing during practise at Mid-Ohio on Saturday!

The 33-year-old Dreyer & Reinbold driver ran wide at Turn 1, went on to the grass where his car then traveled over an access road and bottomed out, causing Wilson to sustain an anterior compression fracture of the 5th thoracic vertebra.

Ouch!

Wilson was extricated from his car and taken to the circuit medical center before being transferred to the local hospital, Mansfield MedCentral, where the diagnosis was made.

The Englishman’s expected to stay there overnight before being transported to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis Sunday where he will meet with IndyCar’s medical consultant Dr. Terry Trammell, the leading orthopedic surgeon in the States.

Simon Pagenaud, who qualified Wilson’s No. 22 car 18th without any prior running over the weekend, will stand-in again for Justin for the race.

It’s been a long while since Simon’s driven an IndyCar.

“I feel really sorry for Justin,” said Pagenaud. “He’s a good friend and you never wish for this kind of situation to happen. I’m glad that Dreyer & Reinbold Racing asked me to represent him and the team I’m pleased that they have confidence in me to do the job.

“It was a bit of a rush, really,” he added. “I was watching practice in the infield and for the first time I didn’t bring my gear, maybe because I don’t have an insane mind thinking that someone could get hurt.

Thank you very much to a lot of the drivers in the IndyCar paddock for helping me and lending me their stuff to use.

One of the reasons why I love this series … co-operation like that!

Heal fast big guy, we need you back out there!

Thanks to RACER for the quotes.

ET