No. 25 Honda to Race at Sonoma in Honor of Justin Wilson
Verizon IndyCar Series team Andretti Autosport announced today that the No. 25 Honda of Justin Wilson will race this weekend at Sonoma Raceway to honor the late driver. Wilson passed away earlier this week following injuries sustained during the series event at Pocono Raceway on Sunday.
“Justin was a true racer and advocate to our sport,” said team owner Michael Andretti. “We will have Justin and his family in our hearts this weekend as we honor him in the way he would want us to, by doing what he loved – racing.”
IndyCar Series veteran Oriol Servia, Wilson’s close friend, will now have the responsibility of driving the No. 25 Andretti Autosport entry, formerly piloted by Wilson, at Sonoma. “This is the most difficult quote I have ever had to come up with. The situation is so difficult on so many levels for obvious reasons that it’s hard for the words to come out the right way. I have known and raced Justin for more than 10 years. I have an enormous amount of respect for him as a racer, but his qualities as a human were definitely an inspiration to anyone who ever met him.
“As I said earlier this week, I truly feel he was one of these souls who has evolved a lot more than the rest of us, and it is something you could feel immediately during your first exchange with him. He will be greatly missed as we all try to emulate his spirit. I am honored and emotional with the opportunity of driving his car this weekend. I want to thank my friends at Andretti Autosport for the opportunity, and I want to express how deeply touched I am by the desire of Julia, Stefan and all the Wilson family to have me driving the No. 25. “
“As a family, we cannot imagine a better person to race in Justin’s honor than Oriol (Servia),” said Stefan Wilson, brother to Justin and fellow IndyCar driver. “His path and Justin’s crossed in many different ways through the years. As a competitor, and also as a person, he carries Justin’s spirit well, and we know that Justin would approve.”
Additionally, American Honda Motor Company, Inc., and Honda Performance Development today announced a contribution to the Wilson Children’s Fund based on laps completed by all Honda entries in this weekend’s GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma Verizon IndyCar Series season finale at Sonoma Raceway.
The Wilson Children’s Fund was established this week to benefit the surviving daughters of Honda IndyCar driver Justin Wilson and his wife, Julia.
American Honda and HPD will contribute $50 per lap completed at Sonoma by each of the 13 Honda entries at this weekend’s race for a possible donation of just over $55,000 to the Wilson Children’s Fund.
“Justin was a valuable member of our racing program, but he also was our friend, and all of us at American Honda and HPD grieve together at his loss,” said Art St. Cyr, president of Honda Performance Development. “We’re hoping to honor his memory with this pledge, and hope that Justin’s many fans and friends can also assist the family at this tragic time.”
For anyone wishing to contribute to the Wilson Children’s Fund, please mail donations to:
Wilson Children’s Fund
c/o Forum Credit Union
PO Box 50738
Indianapolis, IN 46250-0738
*Contributions already sent to c/o INDYCAR will be forwarded on
U.K.-based supporters who wish to send cards and other condolences to Justin’s family may use the address below:
Keith Wilson c/o Lisa Davis
PalmerSport
The Old Post Office
Worthing Road
Southwater
West Sussex
RH13 9EZ
Additionally, commemorative decals and T-shirts honoring Wilson, with all proceeds going directly to the Wilson Children’s Fund, are now available from:
http://shop.ims.com/indycar/drivers/justin-wilson/
The GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.
