Franchitti vows to race onposted in INDY26 | 10 | 2011

BATHGATE'S DARIO FRANCHITTI has vowed to continue racing in the IndyCar Championship. The 38-year-old Scot's decision comes just 10 days after his close friend Dan Wheldon was killed in the season finale in Las Vegas.

Franchitti, who has now won four IndyCar titles, his fourth sealed in the aftermath of the carnage on the Las Vegas Motorspeedway, admitted he considered walking away from the sport.

"Have I considered my future in the sport?" he said today. "I've definitely wondered if it's worth it. But I believe I still want to race."

The Scot climbed back into a race car for the first time since the trauma of Las Vegas when he drove the new-for-2012 Dallara IndyCar at Sebring today. The car will be named after Wheldon, who led the development driving of the project.

And Franchitti believes ovals should remain an integral part of the championship. The Scot's views came as the investigation into the 15-car crash, which resulted in Wheldon 's death, continues.

Franchitti, one of the sport's principal safety leaders, was critical of the decision to run the event on the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motorspeedway before the race went ahead.

Dario and his close friend Dan

But he insists that oval racing is part of the fabric of the sport and should not be discarded altogether.

"I love the fact the IndyCar series is the mix of all the disciplines and to win the championship, you've got to be strong at all of them," Franchitti, who has now won his last three IndyCar titles in succession, said.

"So we've got to be on ovals, and it's got to be safe. It's got to be a lot safer. Of course, you can always look back with hindsight, but we've raced on the 1.5-mile ovals before.

"With the information they had, I think they believed what they were doing was right. Going back now, I wouldn't do it, because we know the result."

And Franchitti, who has placed his championship-winning race helmet up for auction in aid of the Dan Wheldon Charity, emphasised he supported IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard's decision to call off the race in the aftermath of the accident.

"That absolutely the right choice," the Scot continued. "Especially when I got back in the car and I realised how emotional I was there, and I thought 'Absolutely right decision.'

IndyCar meeting was 'positive'

"I think most of us couldn't drive because of the tears, we couldn't see where we were going.

"The drivers were very concerned. Each person was very confused, and Randy, ultimately, he really as a leader did a good job and took the decision out of our hands.

"You cannot blame one person for this. Motor racing is not safe. We've known that since I started racing, and I don't think we're being cavalier in saying that. But we have to move on, look at what we do now.

"We are going to look at all those elements and try and take as many of them out of the equation, to do whatever we can to make this as safe as we possibly can."

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Jim McGill