MARCH 20, 2004

Dan's the man in Arizona

One name that one does not hear much of in Formula 1 circles is that of 25-year-old Englishman Dan Wheldon, who moved to America in 1999 after a very successful career in karts and British Formula Ford, in which he fought and often beat the likes of Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson.

One name that one does not hear much of in Formula 1 circles is that of 25-year-old Englishman Dan Wheldon, who moved to America in 1999 after a very successful career in karts and British Formula Ford, in which he fought and often beat the likes of Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson.

Wheldon went Stateside because he could not find the money to make progress in the UK and after winning the US Formula Ford title at his first attempt he romped through the junior formulae in the US to become a fulltime Indycar driver with Andretti Green Racing last year, winning the Indy Racing League Rookie of the Year award.

On Saturday Wheldon showed that this was no flash in the pan as he took his first IRL pole position in Phoenix, Arizona.

Wheldon makes no secret of his desire to be in Formula 1 and his determinded approach (his helmet depicts the famous British king Richard the Lionheart) could yet see him get the call from F1 teams.

If that doesn't help his manager Julian Jakobi can get through most doors in F1 as in the past he has managed Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and more recently Juan Pablo Montoya.