Go-kart racing helps Queensland motorsport enthusiast recover from trauma of losing leg

As Justin Davis traces up on the beginning grid, his prosthetic leg is poised to place the pedal to the steel.

Davis is an adrenaline junkie proving age — and the variety of limbs — isn’t any roadblock to dwelling life within the quick lane.

“Life’s too brief to take a seat round and be depressing,” he mentioned from the driving force’s seat.

The 41-year-old Yeppoon man misplaced his leg after a traumatic bike accident greater than a decade in the past.

The amputation of his decrease proper leg occurred after issues following a number of surgical procedures.

He mentioned the restoration was lengthy and troublesome, however after years of overcoming the bodily and psychological challenges, his lifelong love of motorsport by no means pale.

“There have been a number of challenges across the amputation and rehab, however I really feel like I’ve lastly turned the nook the final couple of years,” Davis mentioned.

“I’ve at all times had a love of motorsport, and final yr, a good friend of mine saved nagging me to return right down to the kart membership for a glance.”

Regardless of having a racing simulator at dwelling, Davis had no real-world racing expertise earlier than taking on the game final yr.

However 12 months on after being medically cleared to race, Davis is among the nation’s most passionate and aggressive go-karters — albeit with an amputated leg.

‘It is completely unbelievable’

The game has helped Davis overcome the trauma from his near-fatal highway accident, which turns into a distant reminiscence the second he arrives at his dwelling kart observe on the outskirts of Rockhampton in central Queensland on race weekends.

“I stay right here on the weekends and spend as a lot time as I can.”

John Harry has been concerned in kart racing in Australia because the early Nineties.

Lately, he is the caretaker of the picturesque, mountainous racetrack hidden off the Bruce Freeway.

He mentioned Davis was the primary racer with a leg amputation he’d seen.

“His ardour for karting and motor racing normally is simply second to none.”

Optimistic impacts on his life

Driving a go-kart could be bodily demanding, however Davis would not let that cease him.

His kart is specifically modified to cater for his prosthetic leg, whereas his trailer is a cellular storage.

Davis, who paperwork his karting journey with common movies on YouTube, mentioned getting the accelerator pedal in the best place was the principle modification.

“My pedals and my heel relaxation sit in a unique spot to most drivers as a result of they will simply use their ankle to return off the throttle, whereas I am driving from the knee,” he mentioned.

“There have been a number of issues in getting the pedal geometry arrange proper for me in order that I might get each on to full throttle and off the throttle as precisely as potential.”

They are saying that life begins at 40, and that is actually the case for Davis, who reaches speeds as much as 100 kilometres per hour in his customized kart.

“The wheel-to-wheel battles are what it is all about,” he mentioned.

Discovering a love for go-karting after his accidents, Davis mentioned the joys of racing had an actual optimistic impression on his life.

“We do not race for sheep stations, and our trophy is a can of degreaser as a result of we truly get use out of that — so it is utterly concerning the social facet, as aggressive as we’re on the observe,” he mentioned.