Motorsport’s most able disabled racers

Alex Zanardi’s successful F1 and CART career was horrifically ended in 2001 when he lost both legs and narrowly avoided death at the Lausitzring after losing 70% of his blood.

After a rigorous rehabilitation and designing his own prosthetic legs just two years after his accident he drove a ceremonial 13 laps at the Lausitzring having crashed 13 laps before the end. Astonishingly, he lapped quick enough to be fifth on the grid in that weekend’s racing which boosted his comeback.

With a successful return to racing at Monza later that year Zanardi made the move to the World Touring Car Championship with BMW, winning four races before retiring in 2009.

As if Zanardi’s story isn’t inspiring enough, the Italy quit motorsport to pursue his goal of competing for his country at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, where he won two golds in road handcycling and a silver in the road team relay. The races were held at Brands Hatch where Zanardi had never won in his motorsport career.

Having rekindled his love for motorsport by competing in the Blancpain Sprint Series with ROAL Motorsport BMW in 2014, Zanardi is aiming to defend his Paralympic titles in Rio. In another incredibly twist of fate, Zanardi will race in Rio close to the former oval track where he competed during his Indy Car days as the Olympic base was built upon the disused track.

The three-time 500cc Grand Prix world champion saw his career cut short while still in his prime when he suffered a terrible crash at Misano. Sliding through the gravel trap Rainey broke his spine which paralysed him from the chest down.

After seeking Sir Frank Williams’s advice, who was also paralysed in a car crash but continued to head his F1 team, Rainey stepped into management for the Marlboro Yamaha team and raced hand-controlled Superkarts in the World SuperKart series in the US.

The American currently runs the MotoAmerica commercial rights holder group which has controlled the AMA championship since the start of the 2015 season.

The half-brother of three-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton made history in 2015 by becoming the first driver to compete in the British Touring Car Championship with a disability having been born with cerebral palsy.

Having impressed in the support category Renault Clio Cup as well as the European Touring Car Cup Nicolas Hamilton was granted entry into selected BTCC rounds in 2015 with AmD Tuning in a specially-modified Audi S3.

Perhaps the lesser-known member on this list, Sausset made history at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours for his extraordinary feat.

In 2012, the Frenchman was hit by a virulent flesh-eating infection in which he lost most of all four of his limbs. Sausset was given the prestigious Garage 56 at Le Mans – sanctioned to one entry outside of the regulations for outstanding innovation – which saw Sausset drive the Morgan-Nissan LMP2 prototype with specially-designed controls that were attached and unattached in a pit stop to enable him to compete with able-bodied team-mates and rivals alike. The team finished a commendable 38th overall.

Jason Watt’s first stint of his racing career was cruelly ended while he was enjoyed a rapid upwards curve having finished runner-up in the International F3000 series in 1999 before a motorcycle accident left him paralysed from chest down.

The Danish driver never gave up and in a specially-modified Peugeot touring car he returned to action in 2001 in his national touring car championship finishing runner-up in his maiden year. Watt then trumped that feat by winning the Danish Touring Car Championship in 2002 before continuing to have a successful career along with an outing in the 2009 Race of Germany WTCC round.

In 2013 Major Matt O’Hare (driver) and Corporal Philip Gillespie (co-driver) became the first disabled pair to complete the toughest race in the world – the Dakar Rally.

Gillespie, who lost a leg after he stood on an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan in 2011, and O’Hare another injured soldier from the Afghan war were part of the 28-man race2recovery squad which tackled the Dakar which takes on the wildest and most unforgiving terrain across Peru, Argentina and Chile.

With the team’s three other entries being forced out of the race by disqualification or damage, the O’Hare-Gillespie car was the only one to make it to the chequered flag from race2recovery.