Robert Wickens returns to racing in IMSA TCR class

Robert Wickens, paralyzed in an IndyCar crash at Pocono Raceway in August 2018, makes his return to racing in the TCR class of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.
Wickens will join fellow Canadian Mark Wilkins in the #33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N for the 2022 season.

“There’s a lot of emotions,” Wickens said “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.”

In May 2021, Wickens tested a BHA Hyundai Veloster N TCR equipped with hand controls, the first time he’d been in a race car since the crash. Wickens' injuries included a thoracic spinal fracture, a spinal cord injury, a neck fracture, tibia and fibula fractures to both legs and fractures in both hands.
A former Formula 1 test driver, Wickens joined the IndyCar Series in 2018. He led all but two laps of his first race, was named the Rookie of the Year at the Indianapolis 500 and finished on the podium in four races. At Pocono, Wickens’ car went airborne and struck the catchfence. After an extensive hospitalization, Wickens began a lengthy rehabilitation process. He’s able to stand with assistance, but he said Friday his progress has plateaued.
His car is equipped with custom hand controls similar to those used by Michael Johnson, also a paralyzed driver who used hand controls in the #54 BHA Veloster N in Michelin Pilot Challenge races last season. It was Johnson’s car that Wickens tested last year at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. BHA technical director David Brown and development technician Jonathan Gormley designed the hand control system.

Picture: Bryan Herta Autosport