Breaking Barriers: Robert Wickens' Return to Racing - Fueled by Bosch Motorsport Technology
21 May 2025 Bosch Motorsport
In 2018, a horrific crash at Pocono nearly ended Robert Wickens’ life, and seemingly his racing career. He suffered a double spinal cord fracture, multiple broken bones, and a severe pulmonary contusion, revealing by year's end that he was a paraplegic. But Robert Wickens is not like most people. He refused to be defined by the crash that changed everything. Through unwavering determination, incredible resilience, and the cutting-edge technology of Bosch Motorsport, Wickens set his sights on an unthinkable goal: to race again at the highest level.
That incredible drive, combined with unwavering commitment and support, has powered a remarkable comeback. Wickens is now accelerating his career with an IMSA SportsCar Championship campaign in a Chevrolet Corvette, equipped with state-of-the-art hand controls developed in collaboration with Bosch Motorsport. "I don't think I ever didn't think about getting back into a race car; for me, it was never really an option not to," says Wickens. Even his friend and then-teammate, James Hinchcliffe, who was also involved in the Pocono incident, never doubted his resolve: "I don't think anyone doubted that Robbie would want to get back in a car and that he would."
The project was a powerful motivator, not only for Wickens but for the entire Bosch Motorsport team. Jordan Krell, Bosch Motorsport Senior Systems Engineer, notes: “It’s really cool to make race cars go fast. But to have an effect on the human side and unlock someone’s full potential - it doesn’t get much better than that.”
It's all about the feeling: the technology behind Wickens electronic braking system
There's a lot of feel that goes into braking a race car. In the modulation phase, the feedback a racing driver gets from his feet is crucial. Robert Wickens wanted the same braking sensation that enabled body drivers with their feet. Before Bosch stepped on the plate, Wickens was unable to react as he would have liked due to the system's long latency period.
For the redesign of Wickens' hand controlled braking system, Bosch utilized its existing electronic brake system (EBS) module from the LeMans Daytona hybrid (LMDh) class with its trusted controls platform and display to provide a more robust solution. The added technology allows Wickens to have more consistency across the application of brakes, faster response rate and advanced diagnostics for safety. With this system, Robert Wickens and hopefully other impaired drivers too have the world at their fingertips.
The next stage in Wickens' incredible journey sees him move into the main IMSA series. This year, he's tackling the five sprint rounds of the championship, starting at Long Beach in April 2025. Partnered with Tommy Milner, the pair pilot a Corvette Z06 GT3.R entered by the DXDT Racing squad in the GT Daytona class.
Bosch has played a crucial role in this transition, stepping up to develop a ground breaking new hand-control system. Wickens accelerates and changes gear with his left hand, while braking is managed with his right. This system now incorporates brake-by-wire technology, also known as Electronic Braking System (EBS), transforming electronic signals at the steering wheel into precise brake pressure at the callipers.