Stu Wymer, 34, was paralyzed after being in a car accident, but that didn’t stop him from competing in ice racing competitions on an ATV.
Wymer will be racing a quad at the 37th annual Double Header/Western Canadian Championship at Stake Lake on January 28 and 29, 2012. Wymer uses a quad that has been adapted to suit his racing needs.
“I got a Polaris regular stocked Razor and we got hand controls put in it,” said Wymer. “I’m six feet above the ground, not below—you gotta keep living, right?”
Wymer raced motorcycles and dirt bikes on dry land and on oval ice tracks before sustaining his life-altering injuries. He rode bikes recreationally, but biking isn’t an activity he can pursue anymore.
“I just don’t have the balance to ride 'em,” said Wymer.
Racing during the winter
Wymer said weather conditions have been the only substantial difference that he has encountered while riding ATVs during different seasons.
“I wear more clothes,” said Wymer. “You don’t get to drift the same way in the summer as you do in the winter. It’s kind of fun being able to drift around the corners like that.”
Wymer wears insulated overalls, long underwear and a jacket; he also has a heater in the ATV he rides.
“You have to dress to the weather and make sure you know where the weenie wagon is so you know where to get a hot chocolate,” said Wymer. “I just wish I could go faster (because) 50 miles an hour isn’t fast enough.”
His perspective
Wymer is nostalgic about riding bikes, but he has had every riding experience a rider could hope for, so he doesn’t pine about the accident that changed his life. The riding terrain at Stake Lake is of the highest calibre, and Wymer maintains a competitive spirit within the camaraderie of the troupe.
“Whoever wants to bring it,” said Wymer, “show up with no lines.”
Comments