eBay will host a benefit auction to help the family of Justin Wilson starting Sept. 14. Wilson died from injuries suffered in a freak accident at Pocono Raceway.
The auction, which is being put on by the online auction giant along with IndyCar racer Graham Rahal and Auction Cause, will feature racing memorabilia donated by Wilson’s fellow IndyCar drivers and from racers around the world.
Racer.com reported that all of the helmets worn by drivers during the IndyCar finale at Sonoma, California. In all, 20 helmets will be auctioned off from the event.
Along with the helmets, drivers from around the world have also pledged items for the auction. Rahal said that drivers from Formula 1, NASCAR, IMSA, the WEC, the NHRA and V8 Supercars have pledged personal items including helmets and race suits.
For the auction, eBay is waiving all transaction fees, and all proceeds will go directly to the Wilson Children’s Fund. The sponsors have also set up an email address – jwilsonauction@gmail.com – for those who want to see how they can help. Rahal said he’s hoping to have the same kind of success as the auction for Dan Wheldon’s family that raised $600,000.
Prior to the Sonoma IndyCar race, Ryan Hunter-Reay auctioned his helmet at one of his Yellow Parties for cancer research and got $24K. All of the proceeds were forwarded directly to the Justin Wilson Children’s Fund.
Check out the TFLcar tribute to Justin Wilson:
And check out this Racer magazine video of Wilson’s fellow IndyCar drivers sharing stories about him:
