Robert Kubica: Updates on his recovery

[NickEice]

For these ultra competitive guys, the rush they get from racing is like a drug addiction. He doesn't want this accident to effect the rest of his life. Probably not the smartest thing for him to do but I can't blame him.

[DIEK]

Intervista a Kubica: "Ho ancora voglia di correre!"


Chi sarà il suo sfidante?
“Fernando è fuori dal mondo. Non c’è uno sfidante. Non vedo grossi rivali. Così detto, sembra una stagione già decisa, mentre sappiamo che in F.1 non è così. Se non apparirà una vettura nettamente superiore, capace di sconvolgere i valori, credo che Alonso sia il favorito all’80 per cento”.

Who will be his opponent?
"Fernando is out of this world. There is a challenger. I do not see big rivals. Thus said, it seems a season already decided, while we know that in F1 is not so. If you do not see a car much higher, capable of upsetting the values​​, I think Alonso is the favorite to 80 percent. "

[Brakefade]

This is pretty stupid of him and he's not thinking right, or maybe not thinking at all. I'm beginning to question his thinking or reason to rally again? There are other ways to get back up to speed and this isn't one of them.

You're wrong. It's not suicidal. He probably has a condition were his brain doesn't produce enough of the "feel good" chemicals that make us happy, unless he's behind the wheel of a race car. Basically, he has to race just to feel normal.

IMO it's his life, so go for it Robert. Do what you love. Give it 110%!

[BaronVonAwesome]

Some Rob and Ferrari in 2014 talk coming out of Italy:

http://www.auto.it/res/aperture/as_39/18.jpg

http://www.f1passion.it/2012/09/f1-k...i-per-il-2014/

If Massa gets resigned for a year then it ties into that potentially.

All rumours, but you never know.

[Hermann]

Some Rob and Ferrari in 2014 talk coming out of Italy:

http://www.auto.it/res/aperture/as_39/18.jpg

http://www.f1passion.it/2012/09/f1-k...i-per-il-2014/

If Massa gets resigned for a year then it ties into that potentially.

All rumours, but you never know.

I thought Vettel was a given for 2014? lol, why do i even bother....

[BaronVonAwesome]

Who knows, well according to Autosprint, Ferrari in 2013 might still slot him in a Ferrari for GT racing until he is ready and have him help out with prep for 2014, or he might continue rallying, we'll see.

[BaronVonAwesome]

Kubica continuing his active rehab, he won the Rally Bassano this weekend:

[Ken]

His wrist must be healing well, that trophy does not look light

[DIEK]

[Ferrari_gal]

His wrist must be healing well, that trophy does not look light

Yes maybe but if you take a look at the video you can see he does not have much movement in the right arm yet .
I just hope he get it back to 100% and if not at least 90% of it .

[Hermann]

His right hand looks crippled and he is limping; most probably the leg that have been broken is a bit shorter now that the other, its a common consequence of a broken femur. But with the injuries he had, he can still consider himself lucky. And i would love to see him driving in DTM- the ex- F1 drivers make for some real entertainement there!

[FrankAlfa]

Yes, sad to see his right arm and hand rather dead. His leg issue limp is less of a problem. That damn right arm and hand so limited in motion. Well I don't see Formula One in the cards for him but he seemed to find the apexes on the turns and seemed to have good speed in the DTM car. WE can onl;y pray and hope for the best for him. One only has to look to Alex Zanardi for inspiration! Where there is a will, there is a way.

Ciao,

Forza Ferrari!!!!

[sagi58]

Kubica is probably one of the best liked F1 drivers, past and present, and I truly wish him all the best!!
Having said that, I don't think F1 is the place for him! He was very lucky; but, from that video, I don't t
hink 100% recovery is on the books, at least not enough to be behind the wheel of an F1 car!

At the risk of sounding facetious, he should get on with living a healthy and productive life, wherever that
may take him, even if it's not in racing!! Not everyone gets a second chance!!

[Giambattista]

I think you should read the latest issue of F1 Racing.

“I still believe I can come back,” he says in a voice devoid of wishful thinking. “It’s not just a dream. Right now I have limitations with driving single-seaters, but they are less than they
look from the outside. Things are improving. It wasn’t like this six months ago and it wasn’t like this three months ago. And thanks to rallies and tests on the race track, slowly my condition is improving – but there’s still a long way to go.”


“When I have two arms on the steering wheel and I can operate everything on it, I don’t notice a difference,” he says. “The strength in the arm is not what it was, but if that was the only problem then two months in the gym could solve it. The bigger problem is the limitation in the supination and pronation [rotational turning movement] of the arm and the limited functionality in my fingers. But I’m convinced that this will come back slowly: nerves need a lot of time and I see progress even if it’s slow. I am quite sure this will be… not fixed, but not a big problem.”

“When I drive it takes concentration and I forget my body’s limitations,” Kubica says. “With the damage I have, I cannot achieve 100 per cent of what I had before – but I hope to improve. If the limited pronation and supination were fixed 80 per cent, I would say ‘yes’ to coming back to F1.”

[Greig]

At the risk of sounding facetious, he should get on with living a healthy and productive life, wherever that
may take him, even if it's not in racing!! Not everyone gets a second chance!!

Alex Zanardi shows that these guys love to race, it's in their blood so if they can race then they will.

[sagi58]

At the risk of sounding like a "Negative Nelly", what I found most revealing is his realistic understanding of his physical condition:

“When I drive it takes concentration and I forget my body’s limitations,” Kubica says. “With the damage I have, I cannot achieve 100 per cent of what I had before – but I hope to improve. If the limited pronation and supination were fixed 80 per cent, I would say ‘yes’ to coming back to F1.”

He doesn't pretend his body is at 100%, nor does he pretend he will ever be back to 100%!
I feel for him, I truly do; but, in a sport where a split second could mean life or disaster, is this enough?

[sagi58]

Alex Zanardi shows that these guys love to race, it's in their blood so if they can race then they will.

I understand that and I applaud it wholeheartedly! So much can be achieved with willpower and support!

However, with my limited knowledge of the mechanics, I believe that Zanardi's car has been modified for him in a way that Kubica's can't be!

[Greig]

What modifications would Kubica need that can't be done?

[Massimo]

Yes, sad to see his right arm and hand rather dead. His leg issue limp is less of a problem. That damn right arm and hand so limited in motion. Well I don't see Formula One in the cards for him but he seemed to find the apexes on the turns and seemed to have good speed in the DTM car. WE can onl;y pray and hope for the best for him. One only has to look to Alex Zanardi for inspiration! Where there is a will, there is a way.

Ciao,

Forza Ferrari!!!!

And don't forget Alessandro Nannini.

[sagi58]

What modifications would Kubica need that can't be done?

It's not a matter of whether or not the modifications can be done, so much as it's a question of whether or not they are "legal" changes.

It sounds like Kubica would be happy if "the limited pronation and supination were fixed 80 per cent" which tells me that he would need
some sort of mechanical "enhancement" as compared to the modification that Zanardi requires to enable him to access the brake/speed
controls manually!

I'm not a technical/mechanical expert; but, that sounds like two different modifications required for either to be at their peak performance level!

[Greig]

So in other words we have no idea

[sagi58]

So in other words we have no idea

Nope, no idea; just educated guesses/speculation!
I've based my comment on the experiences of a very good friend, who is confined to a wheelchair, due to a spinal injury, yet is able to drive using hand controls!
I've compared his difficulties to those encountered by another friend who had tendonitis in her wrist and had a lack of 100% mobility until it healed.
Sure, neither have had injuries as complex nor life threatening as either Zanardi or Kubica; but, I think their relative situations are fairly comparable!

[Greig]

My son is recovering from a fractured back so I know how hard things can be.

So it's not as easy as saying modifications can't be done or Kubica should give up on racing

[REDARMYSOJA]

Just as a side note, former Indy car driver Gary Bettenhausen has his hand badly injured in a Sprint car crash. He had the doctors set it so he could still grip the wheel of his racecar. That's dedication folks.

Bumping this post I made early in the thread just as a reminder of how someone who wants to race will find a way.

[sagi58]

My son is recovering from a fractured back so I know how hard things can be.

So it's not as easy as saying modifications can't be done or Kubica should give up on racing

I'm not saying modifications can't be done, Greig, nor that Kubica should give up; however, I am wondering about the "legality" of enhancing
his vehicle's mechanical performance to compensate for the "limited pronation and supination" he is experiencing. I realize he feels he can
be satisified if/when they're fixed at "only" 80%; but, can he do that without some kind of "unfair" mechanical advantage?

That might be my dumb question of the day!!

p.s. My thoughts and prayers with you and your family!!

[Massimo]

My son is recovering from a fractured back so I know how hard things can be.

So it's not as easy as saying modifications can't be done or Kubica should give up on racing

Very sad to hear that, I hope he makes a full recovery , whish him lots of strenght.

[FrankAlfa]

@ Greig,

Did your son injure his spinal cord?

When I was 23, someone crossed over the double yellow line at about 50 miles per hour while I was traveling at about 40 miles per hour in the oppisite direction. I had my seat belt on which saved my life. The only thing on my body that was not restrained was the middle of my back. My spine flexed and I crushed Vertebrae T-1 & L-1 with Compression Fractures. I had no surgery but just spend about 6 weeks in bed, then physical therapy for another 6 weeks and stayed in bed. I did not damage my spinal cord and only long term affect has been many years of pain. I had 10 years of sever pain and after that just constant pain that I live with. I hope your son did not have spinal cord damage. You have to demand to have him get double the therapy time the doctors say he needs. The Physical therapy is the key to a normal life after such a serious injury.

Greig, send me an email if you want to talk.

Ciao,

Forza Ferrari!!!!

[FrankAlfa]

@ Massimo,

Yes, Alessandro Nannini was also badly injured in a helicopter crash and also almost lost his arm. He never returned to Formula One but he did continue to race very successfully in Touring Car. Kubica may not make it back to Formula One but who knows. There is no gear shifter like in the old days so maybe a paddle shifter would work fine for him. Steering and controling the car under all the G's will be his biggest hurdle.

Cia,

Forza Ferrari!!!!

[Alessandra]

My son is recovering from a fractured back so I know how hard things can be.

Commiserations, Greig. Good that he's recovering

[ferrari4life]

My son is recovering from a fractured back so I know how hard things can be.

So it's not as easy as saying modifications can't be done or Kubica should give up on racing

Sorry to hear that Greg. I hope for a full recovery. Good luck to you and your family during this hard time.