Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

The top 20 motorsport stories of 2011

For many, the 2011 motor racing season will forever be associated with the death of former IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon in a horrifying accident in the Las Vegas finale, and unsurprisingly Wheldon's loss and the repurcussions dominated the most-read motorsport stories on AUTOSPORT.com this year

In happier news, Kimi Raikkonen's deliberations over where to head next fascinated readers long before his Formula 1 comeback was announced, the prospect of a new Indycar for 2012 was eagerly awaited, and excitement grew over the future of Le Mans racing as Toyota and Porsche lined up to join Audi and Peugeot.

20. Le Mans: Toyota to return to Le Mans in 2012
14 October

Despite global economic gloom, Le Mans racing is thriving. A few months after Porsche announced it would soon be back in LMP1, Toyota revealed that it would take on Audi and Peugeot with a new hybrid as early as 2012.

19. NASCAR: Raikkonen tests Cup car at Virginia
24 May

Kimi Raikkonen was big news all year as he pondered his next move. Back in early summer, a Formula 1 return seemed unlikely and it looked like NASCAR would be his 2012 destination.

18. IndyCar: Head trauma caused Wheldon's death
18 October

Although it would be December before the full investigation into Dan Wheldon's death would be complete, the autopsy carried out in the immediate wake of the accident confirmed that the fatal injury had been to his head.

17. ILMC: ORECA takes surprise Sebring win
20 March

The first big LMP1 showdown of the season saw a major shock, as the factory Audis and Peugeots tripped up and ORECA's older-spec customer Peugeot 908 came away with an upset victory in the Sebring 12 Hours.

16. Le Mans: Raikkonen completes Peugeot 908 test
24 August

By August, NASCAR had dropped off Raikkonen's radar and it appeared that he might be set for a move into the Le Mans arena after testing for the factory Peugeot team.

15. WRC: Burns video exposes cancer battle
7 November

Ten years after Richard Burns became England's first World Rally champion, the Richard Burns Foundation released a new film giving an insight into his battle against brain cancer.

14. Le Mans: Porsche to make Le Mans LMP1 return
30 June

Few marques are as synonymous with Le Mans success as Porsche, so news that the creator of the 917 and 962 would be back at sportscar racing's top level from 2014 was greeted with huge excitement.

13. F3: Magnussen: I'm lucky to be alive
20 November

British Formula 3 runner-up Kevin Magnussen's Macau Grand Prix came to a violent end when he was launched over the back of Will Buller's car and into the catch fencing. The Dane escaped with minor injuries.

12. IndyCar: Finale red-flagged after huge crash
16 October

Even before news of the seriousness of Wheldon's condition became clear, it was obvious that the Las Vegas accident had been a horrendous one, with 15 cars involved and four flying through the air.

11. IndyCar: 2012 Dallara makes test debut
8 August

After many years with the Dallara-Honda spec package, the IndyCar Series enters a new era in 2012 with a new car and engine competition once again. Wheldon was the test driver for the prototype when the car that would ultimately be named in his honour hit the track for the first time in August.

10. IndyCar: Wheldon takes dramatic Indy win
29 May

Just under five months before his death, Wheldon pulled off arguably the crowning moment of his career, as he took the fledging Bryan Herta Autosport team to a sensational victory in an incredibly dramatic Indianapolis 500 after rookie JR Hildebrand crashed while leading into the last corner of the last lap.

9. IndyCar: Motorsport pays tribute to Wheldon
16 October

It was a mark of the respect and affection with which Wheldon was held by the motorsport fraternity that stars from across the racing world were quick to pay tribute to him in the hours after his death.

8. Tributes flood in for Martin Hines
28 August

Motorsport said goodbye to several much-loved characters during 2011, including karting guru Martin Hines, who had played a pivotal role in the careers of so many of top names.

7. IndyCar: Pole contact caused Wheldon's death
15 December

Two months after the accident, IndyCar announced the results of the comprehensive investigation into the 15-car crash at Las Vegas that led to Wheldon's death, including confirmation that an impact with the debris fencing's support post caused the fatal injury.

6. IndyCar: Dallara reveals 2012 Indy concept
10 May

In the build-up to the Indianapolis 500, Dallara unveiled the prototype designs for the new car that it hopes will reinvigorate the IndyCar Series in 2012.

5. WRC: Mini misses 2012 WRC deadline
20 December

Prodrive's new World Rally Championship Mini project generated huge interest from the start - especially once it started challenging for wins earlier than anyone had expected. So fans were unsurprisingly curious and concerned when it appeared there was a question mark over its 2012 programme.

4. IndyCar: Dallara to name car after Wheldon
18 October

With Wheldon having carried out all the initial testing of the 2012 Dallara IndyCar, it was entirely appropriate that it was named in his honour, and within days o his death, the Italian constructor confirmed that the car would become the DW12.

3. Bakkerud dies after car crash
12 September

Another sad loss in 2011 was sometime Formula 3, GP2 and sportscar racer Christian Bakkerud, who lost his life away from the racetrack, in a car crash in London.

2. NASCAR: Raikkonen to compete in NASCAR
29 March

Raikkonen's second WRC campaign had only just begun when reports of another potential career change emerged, as he arranged to take his first tentative steps into what turned out to be an abortive NASCAR career.

1. IndyCar: Wheldon dies from injuries
16 October

The story that defined the motor racing season for many people, as IndyCar announced that 2005 champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon had sustained unsurvivable injuries in the ferocious 15-car crash early in the Las Vegas season-closer.

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Dakar: The last of the great adventures
Next article Allan McNish and Lucas Luhr to share Starworks Riley-Ford at Daytona 24 Hours

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe