Story By: JUST HANDS FOUNDATION – SHARON, CT – Having completed 12 marathons in 12 months, gone sky diving countless times, and becoming the only qualified licensed quadriplegic Rescue SCUBA diver despite being a C6 quadriplegic, Torsten Gross is not one to let external forces slow him down.
So while a recent accident that left the Just Hands Foundation founder with broken bones and a “small” lung puncture will change his schedule, it will do little to deter him from making his professional racing debut.
Gross, who started the Just Hands Foundation, a 501c3 that is dedicated to normalizing the use of hand controls in performance driving, had been preparing for his debut on board a Porsche Cayman 981 prepared by Hairy Dog Grrrge when he had an off course excursion at Lime Rock Park, his home track. The incident left him with multiple broken ribs, a broken femur, as well as the punctured lung.
“It could have been much worse, but because of all of the safety measures in place, I’m grateful to say that the injuries could have been a lot more severe,” said Gross. “I’m so impressed by the safety team at Lime Rock Park with their response. I am frustrated to not get to race this weekend at Lime Rock Park but you can believe that I will still be there! I am also sorry to the Lime Rock Drivers Club and AIDEI EQ that my crash messed up their schedule. But the response has been overwhelming and only makes me that much more motivated to get back and go racing.”
The Royals Car show on Sunday of the Memorial Day Classic at Lime Rock Park will raise funds for Just Hands Foundation , and Gross is looking forward to still being a part of the traditional Trans Am event weekend as he works on his plans to get back behind the wheel soon once again.