SPORTS 34 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MAY 8-14 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Robert Wickens’ day at Long Beach in April was not one to write much about. He and teammate Tommy Milner finished 15th in the GTD field, one lap off the pace, their no. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R a little worse for wear. “I told the team I’m happy that we’re all unhappy right now,” Wickens says. “We reevaluated what success means.” But for the rest of the racing world, the performance of Wickens, Milner and the Corvette was an achievement, one of great significance. While there have been other paraplegic race car drivers—most notably Alex Zanardi— Wickens had returned to a top level of motorsports after three successful years in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge series. And he had proven the importance of new braking technology designed by Bosch. In order to propel the car around the track—to accelerate, slow down, shift gears and even communicate by radio with the crew—Wickens uses paddles and buttons on the steering wheel. The concept is not new. Two years after a horrific 2001 accident at Lausitz in Germany cost both of his legs, Zanardi was back, driving in the European Touring Car series. He would rack up 17 touring car wins. But Zanardi was fitted with a hydraulic hand brake, forcing him to take one hand off the wheel in corners. Although Wickens won the 2023 Michelin Pilot TCR championship with teammate Harry Gottsacker, one year after getting back in a race car, the braking system was linked to hydraulics. “There was a lot of latency and it was inconsistent, which is not ideal in a corner,” says Jordan Krell, senior systems engineer at Bosch. While noting that Bryan Herta Autosports had done well with the Hyundai TCR car fitted for Wickens, Krell points out that “they ran to the limits of the technology.” Bosch had developed an electronic braking system that allows a driver to use a paddle on the steering wheel to slow the car. More importantly, there is no lag in braking response. It puts paraplegic drivers on an equal playing field. In IMSA sportscar racing, however, there are two drivers assigned to each machine for sprint races, such as the event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and up to four at endurance races. All must get behind the wheel. So Wickens tested the system, not only with Bosch, but also engineers from companies responsible for other components—GM, Pratt Miller Motorsports and DXDT. “The wheel is a standard Corvette Z06 GT3.R steering wheel— that’s the beauty of the system,” Wickens explains. “Flip a switch and the hand controls are active.” There are two levers for the brakes and two for the accelerator permanently attached to the steering column, one on each side. If Wickens needs to use his left hand to press the button so he can speak to the team, he can still accelerate with his right. The paddles to shift gears are on the wheel itself, used by both Wickens and his co-drivers. A button on the pillar between the windshield and door toggles instantly between hand controls and pedals. It is so efficient that—even with Wickens needing a crewmember to lift him from the car and carry him to the wall—the driver exchange at Long Beach took just 18 seconds. “One of the challenges is that you have to have all the functions for the co-driver,” Krell says. The run at Long Beach yielded positive feedback. “We learned that the system was not inhibiting the car’s performance, which is all we could ask for.” On-track contact was responsible for the 15th place finish at Long Beach. The lap times put in by Wickens and Milner had them in line for a podium. For the Bosch engineers the technology opens opportunities for other paraplegic racecar drivers and has implications for the street. The system is trailblazing, says Krell, “and Robbie is that trailblazer.” Wickens, 36, began racing at a young age and was three-time karting champion in Canada. He could compete in anything—touring cars, sportscars, open wheels—and was an instant contender when he arrived at IndyCar in 2018. Battling for position at Pocono that year, he and Ryan Hunter-Reay made contact. Both careened into the wall at over 200 miles per hour. Wickens’ car flew into the catchfence and flailed violently, tearing itself apart before slamming back on the track. Wickens suffered multiple injuries, including a spinal fracture. During Covid, he again took the wheel, taking part in virtual races. In 2021, he tested a Hyundai Veloster N TCR racecar from Bryan Herta Autosport, one that had been developed for Michael Johnson, who lost the use of his legs in a motorcycle racing accident at the age of 12. The next year, Wickens was driving full time for BHA in the Michelin Pilot series, collecting three wins and six podiums over three years. Teamed with Gottsacker and piloting a Hyundai Elantra N TCR, he took second at Laguna Seca in 2023 and third in 2024. This year, Wickens returns to the track with a new team, new technology and in the GTD class. After testing at Sebring and racing at Long Beach— both flat surfaces—he is interested in how the system works with the track’s notorious elevation changes. “It’s going to bring its own challenges,” Wickens says of Laguna Seca. “But we’re going to have an opportunity for success.” After Long Beach, Wickens said the team had reevaluated the meaning of that word. Success is not a paraplegic participating at the top level. It is a driver competing at the top level. “He can focus on driving—that was fundamental with the technology,” Krell points out. “He’s an excellent race car driver.” IMSA SportsCar Championship of Monterey, Friday-Sunday, May 9-11. Racing Saturday and Sunday. WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, 1021 Highway 68, Salinas. $10/Friday; $108-$114/Saturday-Sunday; free/ children ages 15 and under (with ticketed adult). 2428200, weathertechraceway.com. For The Win New technology gives Robert Wickens the chance to compete at racing’s top levels. By Dave Faries “Flip a switch and the hand controls are active.” Robert Wickens is carried to and from the car by DXDT Racing’s Josh Gibbs. Because IMSA sportscar racing requires co-drivers, the car is set up so that both Wickens and his able-bodied teammate can race. DXDT RACING DXDT RACING The DXDT team participates in the track walk at the start of the Long Beach race weekend in April, led by Robert Wickens.
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