Latest news with #Wickens
Winnipeg Free Press
10-07-2025
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canada's Wickens to drive feature race at home 7 years after crash left him paralyzed
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario (AP) — Robert Wickens' promising racing career seemed as if it was cut tragically short after a 2018 crash left him paralyzed from the chest down. But almost seven years later, Wickens is racing in the headline event of the Chevrolet Grand Prix, competing at the highest levels of his sport in Canada for the first time since that accident. The event is at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, a course Wickens grew up around and where his dream of becoming a professional race car driver first began to take shape. 'It's been a long time since I've raced a home race as the headline class,' Wickens said Thursday. 'The Toronto Indy in 2018 would have been the last time, and thankfully, we finished on the podium there.' Racing IMSA GTD, the highest class of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, on a track where he used to watch his heroes compete as a boy, is a full-circle moment for Wickens. 'I raced a lot of the cart track just next door, and when I wasn't on track, I'd ride my bike over to the car track and watch whatever car was driving around,' Wickens said. 'Whether it was a IMSA race weekend or a regional kind of Formula Ford race, or a Canadian NASCAR race, anything in between. 'I feel like I knew every inch of this track, even though I didn't drive it much.' Wickens' professional career officially began in 2005 when, at 16, he started racing in Formula BMW USA with Team Apex Racing USA. As a result, he didn't spend much time at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park like many Canadians in motorsport do, instead cutting his teeth in the United States and Europe before graduating to IndyCar in 2017. After getting a full ride with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports at the start of the 2018 season, Wickens was named the Indianapolis 500 rookie of the year that May after leading two laps and finishing ninth in the race. Wickens continued to thrive that summer, finishing third at the Honda Indy Toronto on July 15, 2018 and climbing to sixth in the IndyCar rankings. Disaster struck just over a month later, on Aug. 19, when he sustained a serious spinal cord injury in a catastrophic crash during the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway that left him partially paralyzed. Using hand controls, Wickens resumed driving after his injury and, this year, began racing a Corvette for DXDT Racing in the Sprint Cup of the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Back competing at the highest levels of North American motorsport, Wickens said 'it's amazing' to be part of the Chevrolet Grand Prix. 'I love the added attention of a hometown race,' he said. 'I think any racing driver wants that spotlight moment. You want to be the quarterback in the fourth quarter at the two-minute warning with the game on the line and the ball in your hands.' Wickens' goal for the Chevrolet Grand Prix is straightforward: run a mistake-free event. 'I think in the IMSA WeatherTech, SportsCar Championship, you can't expect success, you have to work for it,' said Wickens, noting that Corvette has won 13 races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park since 2001. 'You have to be perfect. 'So far, in my few races that I've done in the Corvette, we've shown a lot of potential, but we haven't been perfect, and because of that, we haven't gotten the end result.' Because Wickens is racing on home soil for the first time since his accident, he's offering all kinds of unique fan experiences through his website. That includes a tour of DXDT Racing, a personal tour of his Corvette Z06 GT3.R with his custom-made Bosch electronic hand control system, and a photo op on the track. Wickens has also organized a viewing section for anyone who wants to join outside of Turn 2, his favorite place to watch races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park when he was growing up. 'It's such a family sport. It's a lot of parents that love the sport, it's generational fandom,' Wickens said. 'I think it's so important when you see kids around that they just have a great experience because that was me growing up, right? 'I remember my first Toronto Indy, or my first time at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and meeting drivers and getting autographs and seeing the car firsthand and just how welcoming it's always been. Now I feel like it's my turn with the baton to run that back.' ___ AP auto racing:
Winnipeg Free Press
10-07-2025
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wickens to drive feature race at home seven years after crash left him paralyzed
Robert Wickens's promising racing career seemed like it was cut tragically short after a 2018 crash left him paralyzed from the chest down. But almost seven years later, Wickens is racing in the headline event of the Chevrolet Grand Prix, competing at the highest levels of his sport in Canada for the first time since that accident. The event is at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ont., a course Wickens grew up around and where his dream of becoming a professional race car driver first began to take shape. 'It's been a long time since I've raced a home race as the headline class,' Wickens said in a video call Thursday. 'The Toronto Indy in 2018 would have been the last time, and thankfully, we finished on the podium there.' Racing IMSA GTD, the highest class of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, on a track where he used to watch his heroes compete as a boy, is a full-circle moment for Wickens. 'I raced a lot of the cart track just next door, and when I wasn't on track, I'd ride my bike over to the car track and watch whatever car was driving around,' Wickens said. 'Whether it was a IMSA race weekend or a regional kind of Formula Ford race, or a Canadian NASCAR race, anything in between. 'I feel like I knew every inch of this track, even though I didn't drive it much.' Wickens's professional career officially began in 2005 when, at 16, he started racing in Formula BMW USA with Team Apex Racing USA. As a result, he didn't spend much time at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park like many Canadians in motorsport do, instead cutting his teeth in the United States and Europe before graduating to IndyCar in 2017. After getting a full ride with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports at the start of the 2018 season, Wickens was named the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year that May after leading two laps and finishing ninth during the race. Wickens continued to thrive that summer, including a third-place finish at the Honda Indy Toronto on July 15, 2018, climbing to sixth in the IndyCar rankings. Disaster struck just over a month later, on Aug. 19, when he sustained a serious spinal cord injury in a catastrophic crash during the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway that left him partially paralyzed. Using hand controls, Wickens resumed driving after his injury and, this year, began racing a Corvette for DXDT Racing in the Sprint Cup of the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Back competing at the highest levels of North American motorsport, Wickens said 'it's amazing' to be part of the Chevrolet Grand Prix. 'I love the added attention of a hometown race,' he said. 'I think any racing driver wants that spotlight moment. You want to be the quarterback in the fourth quarter at the two-minute warning with the game on the line and the ball in your hands.' Wickens's goal for the Chevrolet Grand Prix is straightforward: just run a mistake-free event. 'I think in the IMSA WeatherTech, SportsCar Championship, you can't expect success, you have to work for it,' said Wickens, noting that Corvette has won 13 races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park since 2001. 'You have to be perfect. 'So far, in my few races that I've done in the Corvette, we've shown a lot of potential, but we haven't been perfect, and because of that, we haven't gotten the end result.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Because Wickens is racing back on home soil for the first time since his accident, he's offering all kinds of unique fan experiences through his website. That includes a tour of DXDT Racing, a personal tour of his Corvette Z06 GT3.R with his custom-made Bosch electronic hand control system, and a photo op on the track. Wickens has also organized a viewing section for anyone who wants to join outside of Turn 2, his favourite place to watch races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park when he was growing up. 'It's such a family sport. It's a lot of parents that love the sport, it's generational fandom,' said Wickens. 'I think it's so important when you see kids around that they just have a great experience because that was me growing up, right? 'I remember my first Toronto Indy, or my first time at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and meeting drivers and getting autographs and seeing the car firsthand and just how welcoming it's always been. Now I feel like it's my turn with the baton to run that back.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Hamilton Spectator
Robert Wickens to drive Corvette at Canadian IMSA stop
The journey of Robert Wickens returning to auto racing has been a success story of the highest order. Not only has the 36-year-old from Guelph returned to his passion, his drive and determination have been an inspiration no matter what the sport. During a 2018 IndyCar race at Pocono, Wickens crashed and suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed. With intense therapy, willpower and the help of modern technology, he was able to return to the race track in 2022, driving in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with a Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai. He had several podium finishes, including two victories, and earned the 2023 series title. A major factor in his success has been the implementation of hand controls developed by Bosch, which has continuously enhanced a system originally designed for car braking. 'I'm still learning the controls and continuing to get better,' said Wickens, who will drive a Corvette Z06 GT3.R for DXDT Racing during the upcoming IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park July 11 to 13 — the only Canadian stop on the IMSA tour. He has already raced the car in the Long Beach and Laguna Seca events this year and said he enjoys the Corvette with its power, but didn't dismiss the Hyundai. 'You can't underestimate the Hyundai,' he explained. 'It developed about 400 horsepower.' But the Corvette, a GT racing car developed by General Motors and Pratt Miller Engineering, competes around the globe, and its V8 engine produces about 600 horsepower for IMSA racing. The Hyundai was a front-drive car and the Corvette rear-drive. Wickens noted there are different driving styles with each, but the Corvette is quicker in all aspects of racing. Between racing at the upcoming CTMP event, Wickens and his team will present fan experience programs, and those interested can sign up at . When not behind the wheel, Wickens has returned to playing golf, an activity he enjoys with his wife Karli and a modified golf cart. He also said much of his off-track time is consumed with raising their three-year-old son, Wesley. While he has raced at many tracks, a return to CTMP is special to Wickens. 'There's a lot of nostalgia for me,' he said. 'I started out there on the kart track and raced in many series there. I'm really looking forward to returning.' Billed as Canada's biggest sports car race, the Chevrolet Grand Prix will feature races in the Michelin Pilot Challenge, the VP Racing Sportscar Challenge and the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin, along with the headlining IMSA WeatherTech event with LMP2 prototypes, GTD PRO and GTD classes. There will be a strong contingent of Canadian teams at the race, including Pfaff Motorsports (Lamborghini in GT3), AWA (Corvette Z06 GT3.R) and noted car builder Multimatic. Canadian drivers include Parker Thompson (Lexus RC F GT3), Orey Fidani (Corvette Z06 GT3.R), Roman De Angelis (Aston Martin Vantage GT3) and Misha Goikhberg (Lamborghini Huracán GT3). For more info and tickets, go to . Brantford's Yvonne Potter (second from right) and crew celebrate her Super Pro class win in her dragster during the Nitro Nationals weekend at Toronto Motorsports Park. Weekend winners: Dylan Westbrook and Ryan Turner had good weekends in southern Ontario Sprints competition. Westbrook, from Scotland, won the 25-lapper A Main at Ohsweken Speedway and $5,000 in the second round of the Gold Crown Super Series last Friday, while Dunnville's Turner took the third round of the series at Brighton Speedway Saturday and pocketed $5,000 … Kyle Cummins of Indiana, who drives for Glenn Styres Racing out of Ohsweken, finished third in one of the racing events at the Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this week. The race is part of the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship for USAC Midgets. Known as The Driven2SaveLives BC39, the races are 39 laps each and named in honour of the late four-time USAC Midget champion Bryan Clauson. A field of over 70 Midgets from three countries took to the temporary dirt oval set up at the Brickyard … Yvonne Potter of Brantford drove her dragster to a Super Pro class win during the recent Nitro Nationals at Toronto Motorsports Park. The victory was her first.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Forsyth fire crosses 9,550 acres, evacuation orders for to be downgraded
PINE VALLEY, Utah () — The , that has been burning for a week now, has consumed 9,665 acres and is at 5% containment, according to the latest update from the . A community meeting was held Thursday, June 26, and it was only open to residents of Pine Valley, Grass Valley and Gray's Ranch. All three communities are under evacuation orders. Residents of Pinto are still on standby. Officials said that a recording of the meeting will be available after the meeting on the Dixie National Forest Facebook page. At the community meeting, Washington County Sheriff's Department announced that evacuation orders for the communities of Pine Valley, Grass Valley, and Grassy Flats will be downgraded from 'go' status to 'set' status Friday at 10 a.m. Residents will be able to return to their homes starting at that time, but they will still need to be ready to evacuate again if conditions worsen. According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, as the weather continues to warm up, everything is drying out. This combined with the difficult terrain, is making it hard to fight the fire. About 509 personnel are battling the fire. PREVIOUSLY: Forsyth Fire continues to spread, reaches nearly 9,000 acres, 5% contained The containment is a portion of the south side of the town of Pine Valley, represented in the map below with a black thick line. Officials also addressed concerns about this taking as long as it is to build containment. They say that the Saddle Fire of 2016 burned for 7 weeks before getting 100% containment and burned approximately 2,200 acres. Depending on the weather and fuels on the ground, the Washington County Sheriff's Office has asked the community to be patient as firefighters 'push themselves so hard trying to get the entire town contained to relieve the danger.' What is a red flag warning anyway? Wildland firefighting terminologies explained Kelly Wickens, Prevention Specialist for Forestry Fire State Lands, State of Utah, mean in an interview with 'When we talk about percentages, say the fire is 10% contained, that means that around the perimeter of the fire, we believe that 10% of that perimeter is secure,' Wickens said. 'So, we do not think that the fire will cross in that area, so that means we are confident that in that area, that the fire will no longer progress.' A warming trend is expected to continue through the weekend, bringing elevated fire weather conditions. According to the U.S. Forest Service, with the change of storms on Monday and Tuesday, they may not only bring precipitation, but can also produce dry lightning with gusty winds, leading to increased fire behavior and the potential for new fires. According to Mike Johnston, Incident Commander of the Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 7, whose team is leading the fight against the Forsyth Fire, said they are working along the Lloyd Canyon ridgeline and will remain in place for the next several days to help secure the southwestern flank. On the northeast end of the fire near Grass Valley, crews were able to build handline along the fire's edge tying it into the West Valley Fire scar, officials said. Following successful firing operations around the summer home community, firefighters are now focused on mop-up and securing the edge in that area. Mopping up the fire . We will be liveblogging the latest updates below. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Wickens proves he's ready for his new challenge
Robert Wickens went into his first race of the season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Long Beach with a simple goal: 'To leave with our heads held high.' The Canadian undoubtedly did that over the course of his maiden event aboard a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R specially adapted to allow him to drive with hand controls. But there was also a feeling of what might have been for Wickens and team-mate Tommy Milner. Advertisement The positives included the 2nd generation electronic brake system developed by Bosch Motorsport proving 'flawless from start to finish' during the 100-minute race. It allowed him to show his pace competing at this level of motorsports for the first time since returning into professional racing after his life-changing accident in IndyCar back in 2018. Wickens ended up fastest in second free practice as he threaded his GT Daytona class DXDT Racing Chevy between the walls on the daunting 1.97-mile Long Beach Grand Prix Circuit. He then ended up just over half a second from pole position in qualifying despite a side-swipe from another car on his hot lap — he completed his lap with damaged suspension. 'It was all sunshine and rainbows going into qualifying,' says Wickens, a driver who has always felt an affinity with street circuits. 'We thought if we do everything right and play our cards right, we have a shot at pole on debut. Frankly, if you had told me that last week, I would have said you are dreaming. 'But we ended up eighth. The electronic hand control system from Bosch was doing everything I needed it to do. That's why it hurts that we didn't get to maximise my qualifying.' Advertisement Wickens regards the system developed by Bosch for the Corvette as a breakthrough that has allowed him to take the next step of his racing comeback with a programme in the five IMSA sprint races aboard the Corvette. It is, says Jordan Smart, motorsport application engineer at Bosch Motorsport, 'deeply integrated with the car'. The brakes on the Hyundai TCR car in which Wickens returned to competition in IMSA's Michelin Pilot Challenge support series were based on hydraulic braking. Now, the Bosch Electronic Brake System (EBS), explains Smart, allows the inputs Wickens makes on the controls on the steering wheel to create 'a little electrical signal that is converted into brake pressure' at the wheel. 'It's true brake-by-wire.' Wickens and Milner went into the Long Beach race on 12 April with ambitions to improve on eighth place on the grid, though with one proviso. Driver changes are an integral part of the IMSA series and DXDT knew that come the race it would lose time to its rivals in the pits. Advertisement 'It just takes a little more time currently with the position we are in with Robert having to be lifted out of the car,' says Bryan Sellers, DXDT's programme manager on the IMSA team. 'We have a lot of moving pieces with getting Robert out, with getting the next driver in.' That loss of time resulted in Milner falling to P10 from the seventh position out of which Wickens ducked into the pits. The longtime factory Corvette driver made it as high as fifth, but as he passed a BMW for that position he receives a tap on the rear that dislodges the bodywork. Race control demands Milner pits to have the errant bodywork properly secured, the delay resulting in a 15th- place finish in class for the DXDT Chevy. 'Safety is the top priority and after having some contact our rear bumper was a little bit loose, and they gave us a black flag to pit for repairs,' explains Wickens. 'Our race was more or less over at that point, so we finished whatever it was. I don't think it tells the whole story.' Advertisement 'That's racing,' says Smart. 'The system we have developed gave Robert the potential and the pace was there. That was the key takeaway for us: we provided him the tool to get to that level.' To read more articles visit our website.
