(Reuters) – IndyCar officials have begun an investigation into the cause of the 15-car crash that killed two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, series boss Randy Bernard saying on Monday they need to understand what went wrong.

After attending Wheldon’s funeral in Florida on Saturday, many of the Briton’s fellow drivers were back in Indianapolis on Monday to meet with IndyCar officials for what was described as a frank discussion about driver safety.

“We must continue to move forward with a thorough investigation,” IndyCar CEO Bernard said in a statement. “Fortunately, that has already begun, and we have the protocols in place to get this done.

“This was a tragic accident, and IndyCar needs to understand everything possible about it.”

Phase one of the investigation, led by series safety and competition officials, has already begun and is expected to last several weeks.

An evaluation of the data will be used to make a factual determination of the circumstances surrounding the entire incident and the results handed over to an independent, third-party group for validation.

In the aftermath of the crash, which occurred during the opening laps of the IndyCar season-ending finale on October 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, drivers voiced concerns over several factors, including the safety-fencing that surrounds the oval and the number of cars and extreme speeds that produced dangerous “pack” racing.

Investigators will have access to data retrieved from the Accident Data Recorders (ADR) from all 15 cars involved in the accident.

The investigation will also include analysis of hours of photos and videos, including footage from in-car cameras and safety vehicles.

“We’re heading in the right direction,” said 2004 series champion Tony Kanaan. “(The meeting is) not something that is being done because something happened now. We set the standards. We’re just trying to make it better.

“What people have to understand is that we’re not going to make motor racing 100 percent safe. That’s the fact. We’re the lab and hopefully we can make it better, make it safer but we’ll never make it 100 per cent safe.”

By Steve Keating

Full qualifying times for the third round of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series at Barber Motorsports Park.

1. Will Power Penske 1m 10.1356s
2. Mike Conway Dreyer & Reinbold 1m 10.6501s
3. Helio Castroneves Penske 1m 10.6569s
4. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport 1m 11.0701s
5. Scott Dixon Ganassi 1m 11.3557s
6. Takuma Sato KVRT 1m 11.4387s*
7. Dario Franchitti Ganassi 1m 10.6307s
8. Tony Kanaan Andretti Autosport 1m 10.6903s
9. Ryan Briscoe Penske 1m 10.7602s
10. EJ Viso KVRT 1m 10.7757s
11. Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold 1m 10.7760s
12. Mario Moraes KVRT 1m 11.5219s
13. Simona de Silvestro Stargate Works/HVM 1m 11.0262s*
14. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport 1m 10.7449s
15. Graham Rahal Sarah Fisher 1m 11.1495s
16. Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne 1m 10.9524s*
17. Hideki Mutoh NHLR 1m 11.2855s
18. Raphael Matos de Ferran Luczo Dragon 1m 11.0507s
19. Danica Patrick Andretti Autosport 1m 11.5340s
20. Vitor Meira AJ Foyt 1m 11.1348s
21. Alex Tagliani FAZZT 1m 11.5669s
22. Mario Romancini Conquest 1m 11.6020s*
23. Dan Wheldon Panther 1m 11.6095s
24. Milka Duno Dale Coyne 1m 15.9800s
25. Bertrand Baguette Conquest 1m 11.9800s*

* denotes rookie driver

The IZOD IndyCar Series season opens March 14th with its first race on the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, South America, while the initial race for Firestone Indy Lights is March 28 at St. Petersburg, Fla., street circuit.

Now, prior to this, the Barber Motorsports Park Open Test, is scheduled for February 24-26, and will be the only Open Test conducted prior to the start of the 2010 season.  It marks the second-straight season that both IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights teams will conduct an Open Test at the scenic Alabama road course.

Brian Barnhart, president of competition and racing operations for the Indy Racing League  said: “the way the 2010 schedule falls allowed for the opportunity for our teams to focus their preseason plans on the road and street course events to open the season.”  “By shifting the oval testing portion to in-season Open Test dates, teams have the option of keeping their equipment in road-course trim until they are ready to focus on the oval portion of the schedule, including the month of May at Indianapolis.”

The first four races for IZOD IndyCar Series and first three Firestone Indy Lights races will be contested on road/street courses, including the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 11 at the 2.38-mile road course in Birmingham, Ala.

The Open test at Barber Motorsports Park will be the third time the IZOD IndyCar Series has held an Open test in Alabama.  Seven drivers tested at the facility in October 2007 and both series hosted their preseason road course Open Test at the track last March.

Gene Hallman, President of Zoom Motorsports, the exclusive event promoter of Barber Motorsports Park, declared: “We are honored to have the Indy Racing League in Birmingham for the Open Test, which will be a prelude to the inaugural event in April.”.  “The Open Test will allow the drivers additional experience on the finest road course in North America.”

On May 4^th, an in-season oval testing day for IZOD IndyCar Series teams is scheduled for the 1.5-mile oval at Kentucky Speedway, while on May 3rd, Firestone Indy Lights rookies will join IZOD IndyCar Series teams for their rookie oval orientation program at Kentucky Speedway.

IZOD IndyCar Series teams are allowed up to six private testing days and a minimum of 800 miles testing depending on the number of full-time cars fielded by the team, in addition to the three Open Test dates. Teams can earn an additional 300 bonus testing miles by testing a Firestone Indy Lights driver at least 600 miles for a maximum of three private test days.

The Brazilian, Helio Castroneves, two times champion of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race is facing in Miami tax evasion charges for 5,5 million dollars earned between 1999 and 2004.  If he’s found guilty, he could face up to 10 years in jail.
His attorney, Roy Black, said in his opening statement that the pilot never pretended to evade his tax payment to the US Internal Revenue Service, and since he ignored that country’s tax laws he’s been forced to hire experts on the subject.
For his part, the district attorney in charge of the case, Matt Axelrod, stated that the 33 year old, Brazilian pilot, believed he was above the law and accused him of not complying with the tax regulations.  Axelrod also accused Katiucia, Castroneves’ sister who is in charge of his businesses, and the sport lawyer, Alan Miller of taking part in the alleged fraud.  ”When he had to pay taxes for the millions of dollars he earned, he failed to do it.  He did not pay,” explained the district attorney.
According to the accusation, Castroneves allegedly wrongfully hid income from Penske Racing Inc. and from the Brazilian firm, Coimex International S.A. (a total of around 5.5 million dollars).  In accordance with the prosecution, Katuicia Castroneves, the pilot’s sister, transferred part of the hidden money to an account in Switzerland which she controlled together with Helio.