What a debut for Robert Wickens. The Canadian driver, who in 2018 was the victim of a terrible accident in Pocono in his debut season in Indycar where he suffered a spinal injury, returned to the track behind the wheel of a modified Hyundai Elantra – with steering wheel controls – prepared by the team Bryan Herta in the TCR championship organized by the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge touring car. The first leg of the championship was staged in Daytona as a side race of the 24 hours that will start in the Florida basin tonight at 19:40 Italian time.
Robert Wickens was disappointed after qualifying in seventh, but in the race in his two hour stint he made it up to third position. The crew completed by Mark Wilkins were also vying for victory, but in the end the Canadian duo had to ‘settle’ for the top-3. The success was signed by the couple Roy Block and Tim Lewis (KMW Motorsports), second place for the reigning champions Michael Lewis and Taylor Hagler, teammates of Wilkins and Wickens within the Herta Autosport team.
The taste of a 🏆🏁 @BHA #IMSA / #IMPC / @robertwickens pic.twitter.com/6QQVEezcIb
– #IMSA (@IMSA) January 28, 2022
“I was looking forward to sprinkle the champagne, it was a great feeling, even though I then locked the wheelchair with the brakes so I couldn’t move when everyone started shooting to celebrate – explained Wickens as reported by the news agency AP (Associated Press) – I’m really happy because I couldn’t wait to get the feeling of pushing a racing car to the limit. I thank the team for giving me this opportunity, I could never have imagined going back to racing at this level. Plus it’s just the beginning, I feel we have a lot of unexpressed potential ”.
Simply inspiring.
Four years ago, @robertwickens was paralyzed in a crash. Today, Wickens competed in his first race since the crash using hand controls…
And finished on the podium at @DAYTONA. 🥉 pic.twitter.com/7IMZ4fdILW
– NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 28, 2022
Wickens, after so much suffering and a long recovery path in which he never gave up hope of returning to being a rider, can look to the future with optimism. After the announcement of the son on the way – the Canadian and his wife Karli gave the good news last week – Robert is now back to taste the taste of champagne. 2022 couldn’t have started better.
#Wickens #immediately #podium #Daytona #FormulaPassionit