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Race car driver with paraplegia tests out new hand control system

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Robert Wickens demonstrating the Bosch Electronic Hand Control System
Robert Wickens demonstrating the Bosch Electronic Hand Control System International Motor Sports Association

Canadian race car driver Robert Wickens has successfully test driven an adapted Corvette, ahead of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next month. Wickens, who has paraplegia following an accident in 2018, used a new version of a hand control system developed by Bosch with an updated braking system.

Wickens said that the hand controls, fitted to his DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, worked like a charm during the test at Sebring International Raceway.

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“There hasn’t been a single hiccup,” Wickens said, as reported by Sportscar365. “It’s like when they designed the Corvette Z06 GT3.R it was always in the plan. It looks like it belongs in the car. It feels like it belongs in the car. Immediately I felt way more comfortable with the braking feeling and braking sensation than I had in my past racing in TCR with the Bosch [Electronic Brake System]. It was a massive step forward so hats off to all the men and women at Bosch, Pratt Miller, GM and DXDT Racing for collaborating in making this all possible.”

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A video from the reveal of the braking system shows Wickens exploring and explaining the system, which uses a pull for the brake that is attached to the steering wheel:

An advantage of the new system is that it makes it easier to swap controls between Wickens and his able-bodied co-driver, Tommy Milner. Previously there was a pedal that could be pushed to switch between the two drivers’ systems, but it created mechanical friction in the braking system. Now, the system switches smoothly, and it could also potentially be installed into cars other than the Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

That means the technology could help make other cars more accessible in the future too, potentially even for regular everyday use as well as racing.

“I think what we’re learning here today can transfer into any race car and then hopefully down the road what we’re developing with the electronic braking system from Bosch, you know—opportunities are endless that maybe this can evolve into road safety and into everyday road vehicles and accessibility,” Wickens said, as reported by Ars Technica.

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Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet
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