I blame Top Gear for my recent obsession: My incessant desire to drive a racecar – with hand controls. But don’t fret, while the notion of someone with no leg function driving a Corvette at 110mph may seem a wee bit dangerous, with the right adaptations and a controlled track, almost anyone can drive a high-performance car.
It took about five or so episodes for me to finally come to my conclusion (and 5 years of driving my mini-van. I only started driving when I was 25): Driving fast is a jarringly exceptional way for people with disabilities to feel LESS disabled. Just think about it…when you’re flying down the track at super speeds, in perfect control of such a powerful piece of machinery, the idea of even wanting a working human body anymore seems silly (for awhile at least).
And getting behind the wheel of a high performance car levels the playing field in the AB/disabled world. This is AWESOME, and can’t be stressed enough. Also, something we all need as wheelchair-users: To get our adrenaline rushing. BAD. And car racing, da da dum, has that in spades.
While I’m not about to recommend people start gunning their Dodge Caravans to their limit, find a deserted highway 
and have a party, I do think I’ve had a revelation. Car racing isn’t big where I’m from. I always poo-pooed it as a silly gas-guzzling waste of time for blue-collar men. Top Gear blew that out of the water. And while the idea of burning gas for my pleasure feels a bit selfish, I have a need for speed, my friends. And it looks like my only hope is a high performance driving school, like the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Chandler, Arizona.
The Corvette, MINI Cooper, Pontiac G8, Mitsubishi Lancer, Mazda RX-7 TurboII – these are just a few of the high performance cars that have been modified with hand controls. Whether specialized hand controls are installed to operate the throttle, thumb switches to operate the clutch and gear selections, or an arm extension to operate the brake, almost any car can be modified if you have enough money. And that can be the kicker for this hobby. You have to be cashy. BUT…there are ways around this.
The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving actually just opened their facility to people with disabilities (read more), letting them come for a night of high performance driving. Love this! Or I could take a cue from Ms. Wheelchair America 2009 and buy a MINI Cooper (or another lower priced high performance car), and get my butt get involved in a more low-cost racing group on my own…
At least there are options. I WILL emulate Speed Racer from a vehicle that is not a mini-van one day. This I know. In the meantime, check out these cool adapted racing links.
Check out our website. I had been a Dirt Race Car driver since 1988. I was paralyzed in 2008 in a motorcycle accident. I am now back in a racecar and competing in the same division I was, against full fields of able bodied race car drivers. We are very competitive, finishing 3rd in the season points standings for my division.