Paralysed IndyCar driver races again in hi-tech Corvette
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[July 15, 2021] By
Matthew Stock
GOODWOOD, England (Reuters) - Since the age
of five, Sam Schmidt's ambition was to be an IndyCar champion. And he
achieved it, winning the Indy 500 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in
1999. A glorious racing career beckoned.
But months later, on Jan. 6, 2000, Schmidt crashed during a practice lap
at the Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, severely injuring his
spinal cord.
Doctors told him he would likely be on a ventilator for the rest of his
life. He was off the ventilator in six weeks, but was diagnosed as a
quadriplegic - paralysed from the neck down.
"It was my passion my entire life and then this happens and it kind of
turns things upside down," Schmidt told Reuters.
While the prospect of him racing again was gone, Schmidt founded Schmidt
Peterson Motorsports in 2001. His team, now known as Arrow McLaren SP,
has won 12 IndyCar races.
Still, the urge to race prompted Schmidt to embark on an exciting
proposition: building a race car that he could drive despite his
disability.
Beginning in 2013 and working with engineers from tech company Arrow
Electronics, the result is the SAM Car - SAM standing for
"semi-autonomous mobility".
"Arrow came along with this idea of building a car for somebody that
can't use their arms and legs. And it was an amazing experience,"
Schmidt said.
"What I didn't anticipate was this overwhelming feeling of normalcy
because I was in control. And literally to that point in my life, there
was really not a lot that I controlled. I needed help for everything. So
the fact that I'm steering it, I'm using the brake and the gas and going
as fast as I want is exhilarating. So it's fantastic."
'SKY'S THE LIMIT!'
On July 8 the latest version of the SAM Car - a modified a V8 Chevrolet
Corvette C8 Stingray - took to the legendary racecourse at Goodwood in
southern England, driven by Schmidt himself.
[to top of second column] |
Quadriplegic former IndyCar driver Sam Schmidt, who was paralysed
from the neck down in a crash in 2000, is seen inside his customised
Chevrolet Corvette, as part of Arrow Electronics' SAM Car Project,
in this undated handout image, obtained by Reuters on July 15, 2021.
Courtesy of Arrow/Scott Robinson/Handout via REUTERS
He steers via a racing hat and sunglasses fitted with infrared sensors, which
are motion-tracked by infrared cameras mounted on the dashboard to detect his
head movements.
To accelerate and brake Schmidt uses his breath, inhaling and exhaling through a
"sip-and-puff" pressure sensor.
While Schmidt has a co-driver alongside him with their hands hovering over the
wheel to take control in an emergency, he has managed to navigate a number of
race tracks in the United States and, now the Goodwood course as part of its
annual Festival of Speed motoring event. Other milestones include going over 200
miles-per-hour, and driving his wife on a date.
Arrow engineers recently built an exoskeleton suit, further giving him an
independence once thought lost forever.
"In the last few months I wore (it) my to daughter's wedding. So, by far the
best day in 21 years," Schmidt said, adding that there wasn't a dry eye in the
house when he danced with his newlywed daughter.
The tech that he and Arrow are pioneering could have a wider impact on helping
people with disabilities, he added.
"This technology could be transferred to industrial purposes to get people back
to work. You can drive a harvester, you can drive a train, you could drive a
forklift or a crane."
As for what his future holds, Schmidt is aiming high.
"The sky's the limit... I hear they're selling tickets to the space station,
maybe that's it!"
(Writing by Matt Stock; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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