The crash was horrifying.
During the 2018 IndyCar race, Robert Wickens' car wheels cut out the Ryan Hunter Ray car and arrived at Wickens Airborne and surrounding Pocono Raceway. Among the injuries suffered by the evil person were thoracic spinal cord fractures, neck fractures, tibia and fibre fractures to both legs, fractures in both hands, four fractured ribs, and pulmonary conspiracies. He also suffered a spinal cord injury and remained paralyzed in the lower back.
At the time, Wickens was in Stardom's Cusp in one of the Motorsports Premier Series. That year he had seven top five finishes in 14 races, finishing ninth in the Indianapolis 500, earning IndyCar Rookie of the Year honors. These injuries could have meant the Wickens era, shortening the career of the promising IndyCar, as professional race car drivers were finished. But that idea never surpassed the heart of a 36-year-old now.
“I thought I was going to do my first (IndyCar) race the following March,” Wickens said. “We were always talking about what (racing) would look like when using hand control. It was never a question. It was the question, 'How? Where?' I knew that was possible. ”
Reclaiming some of the feet, but lacking the full ability to use them while driving, Wickens returned to competitive races over three years after the accident, using hand-controlled throttle and braking systems to control the car. He competed in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and won the Driver Championship in 2023.
And he's not finished. This weekend, he begins a new chapter in which he moves into even higher levels of racing as he competes through the streets of Long Beach, California at the IMSA Sports Car Championship.
The Wickens is on the grid at Long Beach due to its electric hand-controlled throttle and braking system developed by Bosch and Pratt Miller, and has been available since returning to racing.
Without that, Wickens' driving carrier is likely to end in August 2018. However, the system has proven to be an equalizer, allowing him to compete in most levels of field. And continued technical improvements by Bosch over the past few years have reduced the performance gap between hand-controlled vehicles and traditional pedal-operated vehicles.
Robert Wickens' custom steering wheel allows you to control his Corvette race car (throttle, brakes, everything) completely by hand. (Courtesy of Chevrolet Race)
The hand control works like a similar system that can be installed on a road car, but this has been fine-tuned to allow Wickens to drive as if they were using the throttle and brakes on foot. He can lightly tap the brakes while rotating, which allows him to carry greater speeds through the corners.
“The biggest advantage of my new system with Bosch is that it is an electronic braking system, so there is a possibility of tuning in the background,” Wickens said. “So, if you want more brake sensation or brake sensation, you can place the button on the handle that you tune from the brake pressure applied to the brake.
“The old system I used when I first started was a very mechanical system, a very mechanical system. There's a linkage and lever that just pushes down the healthy brake pedal, but you squeeze something on the steering wheel.
Wickens and fellow driver Tommy Milner had to trade off driving a Corvette, so Bosch had to develop an easy way to switch between Milners using pedals.
“It's very impressive,” Milner said. “There's only one button that either of us needs to push to put it in the mode we want, and that switches all systems within a second.”
After Wickins committed to the race again, the challenge of navigating the lack of costs and accessibility further complicates the effort. Finding enough sponsorships is often quite problematic in the race. Wickens also had to convince the team owners to install a hand control system in their cars.
“There are people who race around the world with disabilities,” Robert Wickens said. “I'm fortunate that I had a platform to show my progress.” (David Rosenblum / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Through the process himself, Wickens wants to make such features more readily available on commercial vehicles. Just as manufacturers use auto racing to develop technology that can be applied to passenger cars, Wickens wants to look at the same principles that apply to manual systems and make them convenient and cost-effective.
“I have a simple dream of thinking there could be a Robert Wickens steering wheel that can fit in every road car in the world,” he said. “I imagine it as 'Oh, yeah, just plugging it in like USB or something and you're going your way. But I know that's not how it works.
“The reality is, now is when I'm driving on the road and want to change lanes. For example, when I let go of the throttle to give a turn signal, I'm not reaching for the throttle, so I have to consciously speed overspeed. And then I send a signal, put my hand on the throttle and stop the slot.
Long Beach is the first of five events in 2025, with Wickens driving the DXDT Racing Corvette Entry. Plans that go beyond this season are still being decided. He is open to securing full-time rides at the IMSA Sports Car Championship if opportunities arise. He also wants to race again at the Indianapolis 500.
Wickens down the idea that he is inspiration, but those who know him are amazed at how he refuses to let go of his dream of being a professional driver when there are all the reasons he has left. He also wants to help others who are facing similar situations.
“I personally don't feel like anyone's inspiration, but it's always humbled when people say they're me,” Wickens said. “After I was paralyzed and out of my medically induced coma, I was trying to understand what life I had.
“There are people who race around the world with disabilities, and I'm fortunate that I have a platform to show my progress that others may not.”
(Top photo of Robert Wickens: courtesy of Chevrolet Race)
