Robert Wickens will drive an Acura NSX equipped with special hand controls at the Honda Indy Toronto this weekend, marking the first time the 30-year-old Canadian has driven in public since his IndyCar crash at Pocono Raceway last August.
Wickens, with his fiance Karli Woods as passenger, will drive the car during the parade lap for the IndyCar race on Sunday. The special hand controls were installed by long-time Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports partner Arrow Electronics.
Wickens made the announcement in a video posted to his Twitter profile Monday afternoon.
“I’m just so excited. I can’t wait to get a helmet on,” Wickens said in the video.
I’M GETTING BACK IN A CAR! I’ll be doing the parade lap for the @hondaindy! This is just amazing and couldn’t happen without the help of @arrowelectronics installing the hand controls and @HondaRacing_HPD trusting me with such an awesome car! #IndyTO #ArrowDriven #SCIrecovery pic.twitter.com/mmaTIlrxCW
— Robert Wickens (@robertwickens) July 8, 2019
Since his crash last August, Wickens has been documenting his rehabilitation process via Twitter and Instagram, keeping fans and competitors alike up to date on his progress, and serving as an inspiration to many.
Wickens first returned to the IndyCar paddock at the season-opener in St. Petersburg in March, where he first had discussions with Arrow representatives about the possibility of getting into a race car again.
The new and improved No. 6 is equipped with upgraded technology, and with @RobertWickens back behind the wheel, these simple modifications will make the Acura NSX debut in Toronto a ride to remember. pic.twitter.com/hmkyXSDdcA
— Arrow Electronics (@ArrowGlobal) July 8, 2019
“I’m so excited to see everybody during the Honda Indy Toronto weekend. I can’t thank Arrow enough. I can’t thank the Honda/Acura group enough. I can’t thank Green Savoree enough for making this happen,” Wickens said. “I just can’t wait to get going.”
“I need to learn these hand control stuff to see how quick I am - and I’m going to be driving as fast as I can.”