Paralyzed IndyCar racer Robert Wickens set to drive again during Rolex 24 week at Daytona
The journey from Long Pond, Pennsylvania to Daytona Beach is long enough — just over 14 hours and a tick over 1,000 miles, the GPS says.
But for Robert Wickens, the trip has been anything but a straight shot down I-95.
Try 1,258 days.
“There’s a lot of emotions,” the 32-year-old Ontario native said earlier this month. “A lot of times during my recovery I thought it was possible, (and then) thought it wasn’t going to be possible. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication, but I wouldn’t be here without the support of a lot of really good people.”
Wickens will make his racing return Friday at Daytona International Speedway, piloting the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai in the 4-hour BMW Endurance Challenge — the season-opening race in the Michelin Pilot Challenge.
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Wickens and teammate Mark Wilkins will race full-time this season in IMSA’s top minor-league circuit — less than four years after a horrific IndyCar crash at Pocono in 2018 left him partially paralyzed from the waist down.
At Pocono, Wickens’ car went airborne and struck the catchfence. His injuries included a thoracic spinal fracture, spinal cord injury, neck fracture, tibia and fibula fractures to both legs and fractures in both hands.
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How Robert Wickens got back behind the wheel
Wickens first got back behind the wheel last May when he tested Michael Johnson’s No. 54 machine at Mid-Ohio. Johnson, who is also paralyzed, drives a car equipped with hand controls.
Wickens’ car this season will be fitted with a similar system that uses a metal ring on the steering wheel connected to the brake pedal by a series of rods. Throttle and shift paddles also are located on the steering wheel, allowing Wickens to accelerate, brake, shift and steer with his hands.