EXPLAINED: How robert wickens defied expectations on his heroic return to glory | Rare Historical Photos

Last month Robert Wickens became a race winner again, defying his paralysis by using hand controls to score victory at Watkins Glen’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge event with Hyundai. On the same day at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed, disabled MotoGP world champion Wayne Rainey rode his Yamaha YZR500 again and quadriplegic Sam Schmidt – Robert’s IndyCar team boss during his Pocono horror crash – drove a McLaren 720S using head movements to guide the car.

“I guess it was a great weekend for disability awareness, right?” smiles Wickens. “It’s all pretty cool stuff.”