Heartwarming Wishes Pour in as Robert Wickens Completes His Near-Impossible Comeback Arc With Daytona Podium
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In what will be remembered as one of the greatest comebacks in Motorsports history, Canadian driver Robert Wickens earned a podium in his first race since a brutal wreck in 2018 which left him paralyzed from the chest down. Wickens teamed with fellow Canadian Mark Wilkins to pilot the Bryan Herta Autosport No. 33 Hyundai to an outstanding third-place podium finish in the Touring Class category in the BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway.
After competing in DTM and Formula Renault 3.5 championships for a while, the Canadian driver entered the IndyCar series in 2017 with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Later that year, the team announced him as a permanent driver for the 2018 season. That season turned out to be a nightmare for Wickens. He crashed violently out of a race at Pocono where his car went airborne and struck the catch fence. His injuries included a thoracic spinal fracture, spinal cord injury, and fractures in both hands, legs, tibia, and fibula.
Now, almost 3.5 years later, this relentless, strong-headed driver is back on the grid. He shared an emotional message from his Twitter handle after an exhilarating 3rd place finish.
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1,258 days and here we are. On the podium at Daytona.
Thank you @BHA, @Hyundai, Karli and everyone who has supported me through this journey.
This isn’t the finish line and I’ll never stop pushing but… I’M BACK.@IMSA | @daytona | #IMSA | #RW6 | #ROLEX24 pic.twitter.com/IFjW9VBLC2
— Robert Wickens (@robertwickens) January 29, 2022
Wishes are pouring in on Twitter for Robert Wickens
After a struggle of nearly 4 years, Wickens achieved, what many thought, was unachievable. His grit and zeal as a racer still live inside and he proved it to the world. “Physically, I’m fine,” a smiling Wickens said after the race. “I’ve been working hard the last few months just in case I had this opportunity.”
After Wickens shared this emotional tweet, wishes were pouring in from people across barriers. From former F1 pilots to his admirers, everyone is admiring his desire to be a driver even after everything he went through. Let us take a look at some of these tweets.
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Congrats bud so happy for you 👑💪🏻
— Marcus Ericsson (@Ericsson_Marcus) January 29, 2022
Amazing. Well done, @robertwickens.
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) January 29, 2022
You sir, are science fiction become fact. You are going to revolutionize the sport. I can’t wait to see what is to come…
— George Zhen (@georgezhen) January 29, 2022
Huge respect and congrats from your Esports racing friends! Amazing, Rob!
— VCO 🕹🏎 (@vcoesports) January 29, 2022
How can you not love the absolutely bastard hell out of this?! Congratulations Robert!#RW6 https://t.co/K6Tsi0o1m2
— James Gent (@jamesdgent) January 29, 2022
I cannot wait for this 30 for 30. It will burn your fucking eyes!! Let’s fucking go!! 😭 🏆 https://t.co/J24TW404Vg
— Blake (@dynamicUNOO) January 29, 2022
The 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 taste of a 𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗜𝗨𝗠 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛🏆🏁 @BHA #IMSA / #IMPC / @robertwickens pic.twitter.com/6QQVEezcIb
— #IMSA (@IMSA) January 28, 2022
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Proud of you brother. Never a doubt. @robertwickens https://t.co/Vn2y6AbUQf
— Graham Rahal (@GrahamRahal) January 29, 2022
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It is truly a historic moment in Motorsports. Fans went from thinking he would never race to now seeing him on the podium. Now that he has got the taste of racing again, we can expect more of these performances in the future as well.
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