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Almost seven years after he was paralyzed in an IndyCar crash, Robert Wickens will return to elite competitions on Saturday when he drives a Corvette in an IMSA sports car race on Downtown Street in Long Beach.
Although Wixens has raced ever since a crash at Pocono left him numb from his chest, he considers the IMSA event to be the true completion of his comeback.
“My goal from the start was to return to the highest level of motorsports again. I’ve always seen (IMSA) be the highest level of sports car racing in North America,” Wickens said. “If we could call it a 10-year career, one of the best drivers in the world and one of the best series in the world, it would be a dream.”
The Wickens drive for a DXDT race with teammates and longtime Corvette driver Tommy Milner. The Corvette is equipped with a hand-controlled throttle and braking system developed by Bosch and Pratt Miller. The brake control is mounted on the steering wheel, but is independent of the steering wheel, allowing the Milner to seamlessly transition from hand control to pedal when it is a driver.
“The steering wheels Tommy drive, and the other teammates I drive on this Corvette are the exact same steering wheel they always know. In theory, it’s something that can be mounted on virtually any steering column as long as you have the correct bolt pattern,” Wickens said. “What I’m learning here today is that you can move to any race car, and hopefully what we’re developing with Bosch’s electronic braking system, the opportunities are endless. This could evolve into road safety and everyday road and road vehicle accessibility.
Early morning fog and clear afternoon skies are expected at Long Beach at Acura Grand Prix this weekend. Reported by David Bigger of NBC4 News on April 19, 2024.
“But in the short term, this system needs to be completed here.”
Wickens is the driver of the Bryan Herta Autosport of the Michelin Pilot Challenge, a lower part of IMSA, winning the class title in 2023. He tested the Formula E car and performed a demonstration for Honda in Canada.
“To be honest, raising the green flag in Long Beach will be a huge step forward in my career and my journey to the highest level,” Wickens said. “We did that. We compete with the best cars and the best drivers in the entire sports car industry.”
Car Wickens and Milner compete for the GTD Championship.
“I want to win the championship for myself, General Motors and DXDT,” he said. “There’s still more to do and I think it’s definitely a big box to check.
He wants to race full-time in the series next season.
Not only does he and Milner get to know each other, they also use the nuances of the car in the systems that Wickens have to use, and how Milner drives.
“In the lobby, he has to do everything about driving by hand. This system is basically set up so that you can do it all with the steering wheel itself,” Milner said. “There’s a brake ring and there’s a throttle paddle that replaces what you normally use on pedal boxes. The system is very impressive about how it works and how it works.
“Essentially, it all happens on the wheel. And it’s a system that spent a bit of time understanding what’s your brain first, how it works, then how to find lap times, and what that is, and what that is.”
Milner has also been inspired by Wickens’ journey since his life-changing crash in his rookie season in IndyCar racing. Apart from working with developers to create the technology needed to get back to racing, he also works at Andretti Global as a driver coach in a multifaceted role that researches data analytics, driver guidance and provides direct support in racing.
“He went through what he went through, his drive and his return to race cars, competitive and determined to win races, that could be an inspiration for anyone,” Milner said. “Anyone who has experienced any difficulties like him, that’s what you make in your life and the situation. You can say it changes a part of his life. But one thing he doesn’t want to change realistically is that he drives a race car and drives as fast as he does.”
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