Guelph racer Robert Wickens back behind the wheel after devastating 2018 crash
Robert Wickens, the Guelph IndyCar driver who was left partially paralyzed after a near-fatal crash at the Pocono Raceway on Aug. 19, 2018, is back behind the wheel.
Wickens is racing in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Cup championship this weekend at the Daytona Speedway.
"Long anticipated, but I'm looking forward to it," said Wickens. "I’ve had a lot of time to envision what my return to racing would look like, and sometimes reality's not what you dream up, but we're here in Daytona. I'm loving life."
Due to his injury, Wickens can’t use his legs for the gas and brake pedals. He now has to drive the vehicle fully with his hands.
"It took me a while to get the finger dexterity to kind of know what I was doing," he explained. "But I'm getting quicker and quicker every day, and I'm getting more and more comfortable in the car."
A ring on the back of the wheel helps him slow down, while levers allow him to throttle and shift.
"Eighty per cent of your performance is actually how you slow down the car for the turn ahead. So getting a good feeling for the brakes is the most important thing."
According to racing analyst Tim Hauraney, Wickens has a natural gift for racing. Wickens has already put in a lot of work to get back into the sport, he’s now looking to rise in the ranks of racing.
"He was upset that he didn't qualify higher," said Hauraney. "It's just a different mindset and I think Robbie’s still got that competitive spirit inside of him."
Wickens is sponsored for the entire season, and Hauraney calls it an opportunity to grow racing technology.
"Robbie's got to try and do all that with his hands and it's extremely challenging to get that feel," he said. "If they go on to have really great success this season, who's to say that they can't take this type of technology and put it into another form of racing?"
Wickens and another Ontario racer, Mark Wilkins, are teamed up for the weekend at Daytona.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince Charles and Camilla kick off three-day Canadian tour in St. John's today
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, are in Newfoundland and Labrador's capital today to begin a three-day Canadian tour focused on Indigenous reconciliation and climate change.
Average price of gas in Canada tops $2 a litre for first time
Gasoline prices are showing no signs of letting up as the average price in Canada tops $2 a litre for the first time. Natural Resources Canada says the average price across the country for regular gasoline hit $2.06 per litre on Monday for an all-time high.
Top 6 moments from the 2022 Ontario election debate
Ontario’s four main party leaders were relatively civil as they spared at Monday night’s televised election debate in Toronto.
Attacking schools, Russia deals a blow to Ukraine's future
The Ukrainian government says Russia has shelled more than 1,000 schools, destroying 95. Intentionally attacking schools and other civilian infrastructure is a war crime. Experts say wide-scale wreckage can be used as evidence of Russian intent, and to refute claims that schools were simply collateral damage.
Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber set to launch Biebs Brew
A match made in marketing heaven between Tim Hortons and Justin Bieber is back with a new French vanilla-flavoured chilled coffee. Biebs Brew is the pop star's rendition of the coffee chain's cold brew coffee launched last year.
Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre denounces 'white replacement theory'
Pierre Poilievre is denouncing the 'white replacement theory' believed to be a motive for a mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., as 'ugly and disgusting hate-mongering.'
Rising cost of living worries Canadians, defines Ontario election
The rising cost of living is worrying Canadians and defining the Ontario election as prices go up on everything from groceries to gas.
Online diary: Buffalo gunman plotted attack for months
The white gunman accused of massacring 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket wrote as far back as November about staging a livestreamed attack on African Americans, practiced shooting from his car and travelled hours from his home in March to scout out the store, according to detailed diary entries he appears to have posted online.
Man killed in California church shooting called a hero
A gunman motivated by hatred against Taiwan chained shut the doors of a California church and hid firebombs before shooting at a gathering of mostly elderly Taiwanese parishioners, killing a man who tackled him, authorities said.
London
-
Two suspects arrested and charged after stolen pick-up strikes school bus
Two suspects are facing a slew of charges in relation to two stolen vehicles on Monday — one of which was a pick-up truck that struck a school bus in London, Ont.
-
Tributes pour in for victim of Grand Bend altercation
“He did not have a bad bone in his body.” That’s what Gaetano Pelliteri said Monday in a letter to CTV News about his best friend, Zachary Hartman, 27, who passed away over the weekend.
-
Vehicle struck by bullet in south London, Ont.
The call came in just before midnight and police responded to the area of Wellington Road south and Bradley Avenue.
Windsor
-
What will it take to win the vote of Windsorites? Residents share their top issues ahead of the Ontario election
With just over two weeks until Ontarians head to the polls, candidates are running out of time to convince voters they will keep their election promises.
-
Airsoft gun allegedly used at county dance, OPP investigating
OPP in Essex are investigating after it was reported a weapon was brought to a grade school dance on Friday.
-
RECAP
RECAP | Ontario party leaders face off during 2022 election debate
The leaders of Ontario's four major political parties took the stage for a live televised debate in Toronto on Monday night.
Barrie
-
Paul Sadlon, 89, stands trial accused of sexual assault
Barrie businessman Paul Sadlon, 89, walked alongside his lawyer into a courtroom to stand trial on Monday, accused of sexually assaulting a woman following a business meeting nearly three years ago.
-
Truck rollover on Highway 400 in York Region caused major delays
A truck rollover on Highway 400 south of Newmarket is causing major delays Monday, according to provincial police.
-
Lasting fatigue a symptom of long COVID, expert says
Many people who contracted COVID-19 during the sixth wave complained of lasting symptoms, sometimes known as long COVID, which Dr. Sohail Gandhi said can result in low energy or extreme fatigue.
Northern Ontario
-
Sudbury’s Positive Inception store reopens after fire
After a fire in a nearby business closed the shop, Sudbury’s Positive Inception officially reopened Monday.
-
Northern Ont. union worried members were exposed to cell-destroying substances
Mine Mill Unifor Local 598 says staff at some of the area's long-term care facilities and nursing homes may have been exposed to cytotoxins.
-
Ontario landlord says he's drained his savings after tenants stopped paying rent last year
An Ontario landlord who says he's exhausted his savings and credit after his tenants allegedly stopped paying rent six months ago is frustrated he has no power to evict them.
Ottawa
-
NEW THIS MORNING
NEW THIS MORNING | Hog's Back Swing Bridge closing for two days of maintenance
The National Capital Commission is closing the Hog’s Back Swing Bridge for two days starting tonight to conduct 'further maintenance on the bridge closing system.'
-
Canada Day celebrations moving from Parliament Hill
The Canada Day main stage will be at LeBreton Flats park just west of downtown Ottawa this year, not on Parliament Hill.
-
Ontario party leaders attack Ford on health, education in election debate
Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford faced a barrage of attacks from the other three major party leaders in the Ontario election debate Monday.
Toronto
-
Top 6 moments from the 2022 Ontario election debate
Ontario’s four main party leaders were relatively civil as they spared at Monday night’s televised election debate in Toronto.
-
Ontario party leaders attack Ford on health, education in election debate
Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford faced a barrage of attacks from the other three major party leaders in the Ontario election debate Monday.
-
Ontario landlord says he's drained his savings after tenants stopped paying rent last year
An Ontario landlord who says he's exhausted his savings and credit after his tenants allegedly stopped paying rent six months ago is frustrated he has no power to evict them.
Montreal
-
Quebec English-speakers have higher unemployment, lower income than French-speakers: study
Who are Quebec's English-speakers in 2022, anyway? A new study shows they're young, extremely ethnically diverse -- and are struggling in the workforce, with higher unemployment and lower income than French-speakers.
-
Quebec coroner calls for independence in public health director role in final report on long-term care home deaths
The government of Quebec needs to ensure the role of the public health director is independent and without any 'political constraint,' a Quebec coroner has recommended in a final report into deaths at long-term care homes during the pandemic's first wave.
-
Apartment hunting: What can you get for $1,450 in Montreal?
As moving season approaches, the ongoing housing crisis is on the minds of many Montrealers seeking a new place to live.
Atlantic
-
'Absolutely disgusting': Team leader critical of RCMP mental health support after N.S. shooting
The RCMP's treatment of their tactical team in the days following the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia was characterized as "absolutely disgusting" Monday during testimony before the public inquiry examining the killings.
-
Mother of Chantel Moore tells inquest about night N.B. police shot her daughter
The mother of an Indigenous woman shot by New Brunswick police in 2020 told a coroner's inquest Monday that less than two hours after she was awakened by an officer seeking her daughter's address to check on her safety, police returned with news that her daughter had been killed.
-
Closure concerns: Glace Bay ER closed for nearly two years due to staffing shortages
The emergency department at the Glace Bay Hospital has been closed since July of 2021, and it’s unclear when it will reopen.
Winnipeg
-
Sex workers concerned over proposed legislation bringing changes to hotels
Sex workers are raising concerns about a proposed law aimed at cracking down on human traffickers who use short-term rentals, saying the move could make things less safe for them.
-
Beavers taking a toll on this Winnipeg neighbourhood's tree canopy
Some busy beavers have been taking a toll on a Winnipeg neighbourhood's tree canopy, prompting a group of residents to work with the city to save the trees.
-
Foundation repair companies slammed with calls after flooding
With the heavy rain Winnipeg has received, many homeowners are finding cracks in their foundations undetected during the previous two years of drought.
Calgary
-
Warrant issued for suspect in crash that killed Calgary mother of 5
Calgary police said in a statement issued Monday they have identified a suspect wanted in an incident that resulted in the death of a Calgary mother of five.
-
'Great for all of Alberta': Flames, Oilers prepare for battle in second round
Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk weren't even born the last time the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they still understand how much the Battle of Alberta means to fans of both teams.
-
Italian language program cancelled for 2022-23 school year at Catholic school
Kids at St. Alphonsus elementary and junior high won't be able to continue in the school's long standing Italian language and culture program in September.
Edmonton
-
Alta. man pleads guilty to 1st-degree murder in deaths of woman, toddler
The Alberta man accused of first-degree murder in the deaths of a 24-year-old woman and her 16-month-old child is due in court on Monday.
-
New strategy aims to make Edmonton safer as community calls for more EPS officers
Community members and councillors weighed in on a newly proposed safety and well-being plan crafted by administration to make Edmonton the safest city in Canada by the end of the decade.
-
Police takedown suspect vehicle in northeast Edmonton
Officers performed a vehicle takedown in northeast Edmonton Monday afternoon to end a "short" police chase.
Vancouver
-
'Devastating': Vancouver dad's tweet about son's empty birthday party strikes nerve
A Vancouver dad whose son is on the autism spectrum took to social media to share how painful it was to see only one classmate at his birthday party. Now, he's receiving a flood of support that he hopes marks the start of an important conversation.
-
Metro Vancouver fresh food bank sees 10-fold surge in demand during pandemic
A Metro Vancouver food bank program that provides fresh groceries to people in need is serving 10 times more families than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
B.C. liberal leader slams $800M museum 'vanity project' on first day in legislature
British Columbia Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon said that if elected premier he would halt plans to build a new Royal B.C. Museum, calling it a “billion-dollar vanity project” after he took his seat in the legislature.