 |
| Robert Wickens captures a P3 Podium position along side of P1 Will Power and P2 Scott Dixon at the 2018 INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Robert will be looking forward to a day where he, again, will be sipping the podium champagne, sooner than later. Image Credit: Shawn Gritzmacher via NICS (2018) |
A New Age Begins As Robert Wickens Gets Behind The Controls Of A Real
IMSA Racecar
Hat's off to IMSA, Bryan Herta Autosport, Hyundai, and the specially prepared
No. 54 Michelin Pilot Challenge Veloster N TCR control-outfitted for 28
year old Michael Johnson. Michael was the first and only paralyzed driver licensed by INDYCAR,
before making the switch to sportscar racing beginning in 2016 - so, this
"track day" is a serious thing for Robert Wickens.
A time was set-up to give Robert this first return opportunity on the Mid-Ohio
Sports Car Course race track after going through a regime of rehabilitation
for nearly 1,000 days since his debilitating INDYCAR accident at Pocono
Raceway on August 19, 2018.
In Robert Wickens way of thinking, there was very little doubt this day would
come in the racecar life he continues to pursue with admirable passion.
In review, Canadian Wickens’ stellar NTT INDYCAR SERIES 2018 debut season
featured a pole position, and four podium finishes in addition to the Indy 500
Rookie of the Year title. Having transitioned back to North America from
Europe where he was a Formula One test and reserve driver, Wickens’ INDYCAR
career looked set for championship contention. After Pocono, however, Wickens
suffered a thoracic spinal fracture, spinal cord injury, neck fracture, tibia
and fibula fractures to both legs, fractures in both hands, a fractured right
forearm, fractured elbow, a concussion, four fractured ribs and a pulmonary
contusion in the incident.
Through his relentless regimen of rehabilitation and therapy, Wickens has
become a trailblazer in developing new technology and treatment methods for
the spinal cord injury community.
[ht: Katie Brannan - BHA]
Tuesday, halfway through a full day test, Robert Wickens sat down for a ZOOM
Call with motorsports media to share his thoughts and reflections for all who
have followed his productive exploits.
Robert Wickens ZOOM Call Media Interview Transcript
Moderator:
It's been a long wait for you to get here, but how did it feel to get back in
and feel a race car on a racetrack?
Robert Wickens:
It's been great. I mean, honestly, first off, thanks for coming everybody.
It's been an amazing day so far. I mean, the weather hasn't been super kind to
us. It was a little damp to begin with. It rained overnight and it's been
changeable all day, but, nevertheless, it's been just a blast and I honestly
can't thank Bryan Herta Autosport, Hyundai, and Michael Johnson (enough). It's
not everyday that someone can lend you a race car to go take an item off your
bucket list. So, it's been a great day so far.
Moderator:
How many laps did you run so far and what are the plans for the rest of the
day for you? Are you done for the day? Are you getting back in?
Robert Wickens:
Yeah, to be honest, I wish I had a proper number for you on how many laps I've
done, but I would say I'm around 25ish laps for the morning. Yeah, it's been,
been a lot of fun and I hope to get back in the afternoon. I haven't really
had a chance to talk with the team again. So, I just got out of the car and
had a bite to eat and then been up here. So, we're gonna see what we can do. I
know it's raining a little bit again right now, but, you know, I've always
liked racing in the rain as well, so it should be, it should be good fun.
Question:
Hey, Robbie, welcome back. I know it's been quite a journey for you to get
here but you promised us when this journey began that you would get back in a
race car and today you lived up on that promise. So in many ways, how
fulfilled do you feel about today?
Robert Wickens:
I mean, I feel there was a lot of emotions. I think once I was able to put my
visor down and get back on a racetrack again, you know, the whole week up
leading to this, it wasn't so much nerves. There was a lot of excitement and
anticipation for this. And then once I put a suit on again and started putting
in the earpieces, balaclava, the helmet, it just all went out the window and
it was just like business as usual. Once I got back out on track, it was a
slightly different story. You know, obviously the hand controls that Michael
Johnson uses and the Hyundai Veloster is brand new for me. So learning that on
a wet track, it wasn't without its difficulties, but we took it step by step
and slowly chipped away at getting quicker and quicker.
Question:
And how are the hand controls? Because you've been trained as a race driver to
do certain things, especially at a track like Mid-Ohio that you're familiar
with, to now all of a sudden reeducate yourself to use your hands instead of
what you were able to do before.
Robert Wickens:
Yeah, I think that that's the hard thing with accessibility is, you know,
there's no textbook on it. It's not like the gas is on the right and the
brake's on the left like every car, almost in existence. You know, with this,
there's been a lot of people in the past that have raced with disabilities.
You know, you have Billy Monger, you have Alex Zanardi, you have Michael
Johnson here in the IMSA Pilot series. They all have different systems and
they're all very successful at what they're doing. Michael's system here is,
there's a ring on the front of the steering wheel that you push for throttle.
And then there's another ring on the backside of the steering wheel that you
pull in for brake, which I think is a great system. Having everything within
fingers reach on the steering wheel has been pretty good so far. But yeah,
like you said, it's a really steep learning curve and there's been a lot of
mental focus, I guess, goes into it, trying to program in, you know, preplan
what I'm doing with my hands before I get to the next corner. It's slowly
starting to take shape where I'm having to think less and less about it.
Question:
Back to your day job, you work a lot with the young kids over at Arrow
McLaren. One of them did pretty well on Sunday. What's your reaction to what
Pato was able to do? Finally got his first victory.
 |
| Arrow McLaren SP driver Pato O'Ward notches his first win in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES after showing his pace in several races over the past full year. Doughnuts are fun when one is only twenty-one and in possession of a first-ever win - this only happens once. Image Credit: Joe Skibinski via NICS (2021) |
Robert Wickens:
I mean, with, with Pato is a long time coming. I think he's had three, maybe
four second-places so far in his IndyCar career. And he's been so close so
many times. I see a lot of myself in him in terms of he's doing so many
things, right. And it's in an IndyCar, especially in any professional form of
motorsport, you have to do the little things well, and it's the things that go
unnoticed to the visual eye. You know, like your in-laps, your out-laps,
stopping on the marks in the pit stops, your attention to detail. That's what
wins you races at an elite level. It's never, as we say in the Arrow McLaren
SP camp, you know, you have to do the not so sexy stuff well. Which is
basically those in-laps and out-laps and those little parts of the game that
can make the difference.
Question:
Robbie, congrats, man. That's awesome. So what are the plans here? I mean,
moving forward, is this going to turn into something that is more full-time?
Robert Wickens:
I mean, I wish I could give you guys a bit more insight, but at the moment
there's, there's no real prospects. It's just a great opportunity that, that
Bryan Herta and Hyundai were able to present me with this track day. And I
jumped on the opportunity, you know, I've been wanting to drive a race car for
a long time now. And to finally tick that box is massive in my recovery and my
journey back. Who knows what the future will bring, but I don't want to get
too far ahead of myself. And I just want to take today for really what it is.
Question:
All right. So for not pushing the future too much, I have to ask, you know,
with what Hyundai and Bryan Herta Autosport have done here, plus what you had
mentioned off the top, what we've seen the likes of Zanardi, Billy Monger,
Michael Johnson do here, could something like the Indy 500 now be in the
cards?
Robert Wickens:
I mean, I was never really ruling it out to begin with. I mean, I think the
biggest thing for me is, the hardest thing of my injury was, I felt like I was
just hitting the peak of my career and my abilities when this happened. We're
creeping up on three years now since the accident. And I feel like I'm not
utilizing those prime years of my career. I would love nothing more than to
get back at an elite level. And sure. I mean, selfishly, I would love to get
back to IndyCar to close that chapter of my life on my own terms. You know, I
think everyone can kind of relate, you know, if for whatever reasons, if
something happens that you weren't really planning, sometimes it leaves a bad
taste in your mouth. I would love nothing more ideally, you know, to win an
IndyCar race and then maybe move on. But, you know, I think right now, there's
so much to figure out. I mean, I think at the early stages of my recovery, I
really wanted to return to IndyCar. I'm not saying I don't now, but
understanding what goes into accessibility. And I think making an IndyCar
competitive with hand controls would be a massive undertaking. One that maybe
with the current IndyCar regulations wouldn't be entirely feasible. So, you
know, but never say never. There's a lot of great teams out there, and I
honestly think crazier things have happened in the past, but for the time
being, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, focusing on my rehab and
hopefully, finally in due time, the right opportunity will come.
Question:
I realize you don't want to mess up Michael Johnson's setups at all. But how
easy is it to kind of like tailor and customize those hand controls for
yourself? For example, if you wanted to make the brakes less sensitive or more
sensitive or the throttle response, is it easy to address?
Robert Wickens:
Ah, I'm still learning the system myself, but honestly I think, there's
definitely, probably some tunability. I know with the hand control system that
Michael Johnson uses in the Veloster, there's like a hydraulic big booster,
like brake booster to help generate the pressure on the brake. And there's a
tuning aspect to that for if I want the brake more sensitive or not so
sensitive. And, Stephen Simpson, who is Michael Johnson's co-driver or other
driver not co-driver, but a teammate. There it is. He does a great job of
shaking down the car. So he was actually first in today and set up the brakes
with what he believes Michael would have liked for me to try. You know, and
then once the track started to dry out a little bit, we were talking a little
bit and we changed the brakes a little bit again, once, you know, the track
was getting a bit grippier and stuff like that. He's been a great asset today
with getting me up to speed along with Michael himself. I've been bouncing a
lot of ideas and a lot of questions off of him and it's been a really good
day, but I think in terms of customization, I'm, I'm new to the IMSA world,
but I believe the system is entirely homologated. So I think you can't really
do a whole lot of customizations without homologating a new system.
By God, that’s Robert Wickens’ music!!! The man, @robertwickens back in a race car once again with @BHA and @Hyundai. So thrilled to be even a small part of his incredible journey. pic.twitter.com/EaUdSegR1K
— George Steinbrenner (@GSteinbrennerIV) May 4, 2021
Question:
As far as feel is concerned, obviously, a lot of drivers will say there's not
just the visual or the feel through the steering while also feeling through
your backside as well. Do you get still get those same sensations that you did
before you accident and how difficult is it for you to kind of like switch to
like a front wheel drive car?
Robert Wickens:
Yeah, I mean, in terms of transitioning to front wheel drive, it's been
entirely seamless. If I didn't know it was front wheel drive, I probably
wouldn't have found out for a long time until I had an understeer on exit that
was a bit unique in the rain. I was like, 'Oh yeah, there's the front wheel
drive.' But honestly, the Hyundai Veloster, it's an amazing little car, you
know, I didn't really know what to expect. I've heard great things of, like a
TCR car and the series itself, but it's a lot of fun to drive. It's very well
balanced in the rain so far. It's been, yeah, it's been a pleasure to get up
to speed with it, but in terms of sensation, there's definitely been moments
that I've been maybe caught off guard by something, but it's more so what I'm
doing with the brake pedal, you know, as most of, you know, braking is like 90
percent of motorsport. And, you know, I've had some like slight oversteer
sliding moments that were related to the brake that I didn't realize I was
maybe braking as much as I was and had a small oversteer from that. But it
wasn't really, I think I'm having some pretty good sensation. I'm able to
slide the car around and stuff like that. And I'm feeling kind of a bit what
the car is doing, which, you know, obviously my first time back in a race car,
you always wonder what that sensation is going to be like, but so far it seems
to be there.
Question:
Robert, a few of us got to actually watch you today and stuff, and it seemed
like every lap you took, you seemed a little smoother, a little smoother. Did
it feel like that in the car? And did you get to the point where you had a
little bit of a, I don't know, for want of another term, a thrill factor?
Robert Wickens:
Yeah, for sure. I mean, there was one stage there where it really started to
dry out, when we were able to put slicks on for a few laps and it took a while
to get them warmed up and get them going. Cause it was really like half wet,
half dry conditions. But you can't, I mean, I did a lap that I pit right after
it. Cause I was just like, I feel like if I don't like take a breather here, I
might take things a little too far. So it's been a lot of fun so far, but it's
been such a big learning curve and the cool thing is I've been able to drive
this car and almost every condition here at Mid-Ohio. It's been, we started
the day in pretty heavy rain conditions and then it's been a constant
evolution and drying out throughout the day. So yeah, I've been able to
experience kind of full wet and intermediate crossover to dry. It's like it's
been a fun little day so far.
Question:
I was going to say in your mind when you're thinking, well, of course there's
going to be a little bit of rain today. You know what I mean? Your first time
back in a race car, et cetera, it's almost like they're putting you through
it. I was talking with Bryan during a break there and what is the sensation
that you need to get to? Like you were talking about the braking, for example,
it seemed like you got smoother as the session went, but what is that
sensation you've really got to get to where you feel, for want of another term
competent again?
Robert Wickens:
Oh man, that's a loaded question. You know, I mean, ultimately, there really
isn't one aspect to it. You know, I want to keep looking at the telemetry, try
to look at onboards, but between the other drivers here at this track day and,
and to improve myself slowly. I mean, I haven't had a chance really, to look
at the data from my last run to see how I can improve to go forward. But I'm
sure, like I touched on at the beginning, braking's probably one of the low
hanging fruits of trying to find lap time right now. But I'm at the stage
right now in my progression in this car today that I need to see that
telemetry. I need some coaching basically on, on how to get the most out of
this Veloster.
Question:
Hey, real quick, one more quickie, watching you pull out and stuff. Can you go
through the procedure? You've got a clutch, you got a clutch lever, right? You
have shift paddles, right? You gotta go through the procedure of just getting
going so people can understand what you're doing there.
Robert Wickens:
Yeah. So, uh, it's a bit busy. So basically we have a lever to the right of
the cockpit. That's the clutch. So normally obviously people have a pedal
clutch, mine's a hand operated clutch. So I need to pull in the clutch select
first gear and then use the throttle on the steering wheel to leave like you
normally would. All while trying to not hit mechanics and other things as I
drive off. So you know, I think honestly, that's one of the more complicated
things is when the car is stationary. I think once you're moving, it's pretty
seamless. But, you have, you need one more set of hands, I think to leave
smoothly.
Question:
Hi there. Thanks so much for the time again today, Robbie. I know you
mentioned that you felt like an IndyCar return might be a little bit farther
off or just more complicated to put together, given regulations and everything
right now. What would you feel like a realistic timeline would be if you got
an opportunity from the right team in IMSA to make a comeback. I mean, would
you with the right amount of testing feel potentially comfortable trying to
put something together for next year? Is that something that you're even
focused on right now?
Robert Wickens:
I mean, absolutely. I mean, I've not been shy to admit that I want to return
to an elite category again and to continue my journey and my career. I mean,
no one has a crystal ball, but first and foremost, I think getting up and
running comes with finance. Unfortunately, that's the motorsports world.
That's what we live in. It doesn't matter if that's IndyCar, if it's Formula
E, if it's IMSA, you know, I think getting up and running with the hand
controls, I would like to make some small, personal changes to hand controls
to better suit maybe what I would want. But, you know, I think at the end of
the day, first and foremost, finances is the first hurdle and once we can get
up and running, then we kinda have the whole world at our disposal. But at the
moment, it's pretty tough to get started.
Question:
What kind of timeline brought this together? I mean, was this something that
has been in the works with Bryan and his team for a while now? Is it something
that kind of came together last minute? How long have you known that this
could be a possibility?
Robert Wickens:
I would say a bit of both. Bryan approached me a few months ago and basically
we were just chatting and he asked if I'd ever want to drive a race car again.
I said, 'Of course.' And then that was kind of it for a little bit. And then
things started to slowly come together one step at a time. And then he was
able to let me know that Hyundai was doing a track day here at Mid-Ohio. And
there was an opportunity for me to drive Michael Johnson's Veloster and it was
kind of the perfect opportunity, just great timing, really, you know. IMSA's
here in a couple of weeks and, you know, they're doing their program to get
things ready for the upcoming race and I'm just kinda hanging out in the
background and just having fun.
 |
| Robert Wickens crosses the Yard of Bricks during the 2018 INDYCAR Grand Prix as he posts a P3 Podium finish in his rookie season at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Image Credit: Walter Kuhn via NICS (2018) |
Question:
One last one, I know you took part in the IndyCar iRacing Challenge last
spring, when we had the pause for the series due to the pandemic and you had a
pretty, pretty solid success in that first race. I know a sim race and
actually driving the car is very different, but maybe kind of take me through
what you had to check off between April of last year and now to get to the
point where you were either ready or cleared, or comfortable actually getting
back in a race car.
Robert Wickens:
Yeah. I mean, I think first and foremost, you know, I have to get a lot of
thanks to Simcraft, because they were able to provide me with a simulator at
home, which was really the first step on this road back. I was able to compete
again, like you said, even though it was virtual, I was able to kind of feel
that competition again and to improve. And not only that we were able to
evolve the hand controls to something that I'm very comfortable with on a
simulator at home. The irony is that's not what I'm driving here today in the
Veloster, but nevertheless, just getting more used to using your hands, you
know, was massive for me. So yeah, it's been, it's been amazing, but yeah,
just it's been, been a blast.
In addition to the IndyCar iRacing series, you also did made some appearances
in the IMSA iRacing Pro Series last year. Were you in the one that we had at
Mid-Ohio?
Robert Wickens:
No, I did Road America, I did Watkins and I believe, VIR.
Moderator:
Okay. I was going to ask you if it was helpful for today.
Robert Wickens:
So, I'm also doing Road Atlanta this Thursday. So I'm making my IMSA virtual
comeback.
Moderator:
You heard it here first folks.
Question:
Thanks for joining us. Really appreciate it. I just wondered, you know, you
kind of, as a driver coming up through, you're kind of trained not to feel any
emotion when you're behind the wheel, and that's kind of like a prerequisite
of being able to battle against your rivals. I just wonder kind of what you
felt today on the first lap going into Turn 1. If you let yourself kind of
have a moment there, or if there was any kind of a real feeling of realization
of what you'd actually achieved just by testing today in itself.
Robert Wickens:
To be honest, there wasn't. You know, there was so much going through my head
on, like, what I'm doing with my hands that I really don't think I thought of
a single emotion apart from making sure I was pulling the right thing to stop
the car. You know, I think that was the priority. I mean, as you guys know,
Mid-Ohio Turn 1's a pretty daunting corner. So, going up to that the first
time in the wet with an entire system that I've never used before, it was
definitely daunting. But I definitely, I took baby steps and took it nice and
slow, you know, I didn't want to be the hero on lap one. And yeah, I think, we
progressed nicely throughout the morning and I'm looking forward to getting
back in the car here in a little bit.
Question:
Hey Robbie, it's great to see you back in the car. What surprised you the most
in getting back behind the wheel today?
Robert Wickens:
I think the thing that surprised me the most was how mighty that Hyundai
Veloster is. Honestly, it's a really fun car. And just to have the
opportunity, I was really happy that I got a run in on slicks at the end,
before I took my lunch break here to come up and speak to you friendly people.
But yeah, it's the fact that, you know, in the rain, it was very well
balanced. Mid-Ohio Is not an easy track here in the wet. It's very slippery,
very low grip and no room for error anywhere. But it handled it well, you
know, the brakes are strong, the cornering speed, everything. I was very blown
away by actually how quick this car is. I'm not trying to discredit what it
was, but, you know, I was very pleasantly surprised with how much of a real
race car it is.
Question:
You mentioned there's still a lot to figure out moving forward into the
future, but what are the long-term goals that you're looking at now that
you've gotten this chance to get behind the wheel?
Robert Wickens:
Yeah, I mean, I think long-term goals for me, haven't changed. I want to
return to an elite level of motorsport again. It's been really since day zero
of my recovery and we're still chipping away. This is a massive step in my
journey back, but that's really all that is here today. Unfortunately, there's
nothing really in the pipeline, because of that, but you know, I'm going to
keep doing what I can keep working hard and I believe that hard work always
pays off. And I believe I deserve to still race at a high level and at an
elite level. And hopefully that can come true sometime soon.
Question:
You mentioned the recovery and the road you've taken to get to this point.
What's been the toughest part of that recovery?
Robert Wickens:
There's been many, there's been many tough times. I mean, I think, something
that a lot of people, try not to talk about, but the mental health aspect of a
recovery like this is extremely daunting. That's been really one of the
biggest struggles. I think a lot of people can put in the manual work and then
to try and get better and get stronger, but to do it day in and day out and
keep a positive outlook, it's extremely, extremely tough. And, you know, then
there's the whole different world of emotions that come through, you know,
then you go through different phases of your recovery and it's the mental
aspect has been hands down the hardest thing of this recovery. And I've had a
great support system. I have a lovely partner with my wife that has always had
my back and has always been there for me. But then even from family, from
friends, from colleagues, you know, I'm so fortunate to have such a great
surrounding around me within the motorsports community that I really, I feel
sometimes I don't know how I got so lucky to have such a great support system
around me.
Question:
Hey, Robbie, just want to throw one more in. You were talking about your
support system to be able to have Sam Schmidt involved. I mean, nobody can
relate to what you're going through any better than Sam Schmidt. And how
important of a role has he had in helping you through this mental aspect of
it.
Robert Wickens:
You know, Sam was very good for us at the beginning of the injury. You know,
obviously he had experienced everything there is with, with paralysis. So at
the beginning of all this, he was able to answer a lot of questions that we
had, he was able to help us when we were discussing what would be the best
rehab facility to try to go to. So just to have that person to bounce
questions and names of doctors and this, like, he's just very well connected
within the industry. Yeah, I mean, I think in that stages, he was definitely
very helpful.
Question:
Thank you. Great to see it back, Robbie. And I just have one question.
Everybody else asked pretty much the questions that I would ask. You mentioned
Formula E . Have you been in touch with anybody at Formula E? You know, your
old pal Toto Wolff. Mercedes has got a team in that series, maybe the
regulations, particularly, as far your situation are a little different. In
any event, have you talked to anybody there about possibly getting involved?
Robert Wickens:
You know, I mean, yeah. Luckily I was able to end my relationship with
Mercedes on very good terms. And Toto has been a regular person that I've been
able to lean on throughout my recovery. Whether it be him coming to visit me
when I was in the hospital still in Indianapolis to just kind of monthly or
bi-monthly phone calls to check in, to see how everyone's doing. You know,
he's such a great person. With that being said, there, there is no formal
discussions with any Formula E teams. I mean, I would love the opportunity,
but you know, right now at the moment, I think that that's a great
championship, especially for accessibility given the advances in the
technology that they have at their disposal there.
Question:
Hey, Robbie just wanted to follow up. So, you know, support systems on at any
point, did you ever talk with like Alex Zanardi after say the 24 hours of
Daytona or even, or even going longer for that, for that matter?
Robert Wickens:
I have actually. Yeah. I mean the whole support system in motorsports is
phenomenal. You know, the amount of drivers that reached out to me and have
talked to me, I'm sure a lot of sports are the same, but it's been amazing.
And Alex was one of the first people to reach out to me. Once I was ready to
take phone calls and you know, we immediately started talking shop and talking
about what I needed to go racing again. And he gave me a lot of very good
feedback on his experiences. Same with Billy. And not even that, like Trevor
Carlin, who is the team boss for Billy, I was able to pick his brain on more
of a technical aspect of what Billy used. But then, you know, every injury has
its own kind of unique fix. So a lot of the things that they were using
actually wouldn't work for me for example, but it's still very interesting to
hear what they did and how they fixed or got around their problems.
Moderator:
I'm not seeing any additional questions and I understand the weather has
improved there at Mid-Ohio. So we'll go ahead and let you get back in the car
here for a little bit more, and we'll be eager to hear what that sounds like.
We'll keep an eye on your socials for a final update once you're done for the
day, but we really do appreciate your time to join us today, Robbie.
[ht: IMSA Communications]
Does anyone doubt the competitive resolve of this Canadian?
We are "all in" on
a Robert Wickens path/focus template in the pursuit of dreams in this finite
process, yet unscripted treasure, of living life.
... notes from
The EDJE
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