Image: Misha Charoudin
Image: Misha Charoudin
Image: Misha Charoudin
While we often talk about the myriad of vehicles that come and go, the essence of the impact of a car stems from the people that interact with them. At the highest level of the automotive world sit motorsport legends – many of whom are able-bodied, but despite being physically limited, one paraplegic BMW M2 driver can still set amazing lap times around the Nurburgring.
Image: Misha Charoudin
Misha Charoudin has grown a following on Youtube for his Nurburgring content. Typically his content comprises vlog-style recordings of either himself or someone else driving around the legendary track. The cars range anywhere from MK2 Golfs to a Bugatti Centodieci, and the same applies to the drivers that Misha often bumps into at the track. The most notable run in being with a paraplegic BMW M2 owner that Misha spotted in the handicapped parking spot. Approaching the owner and driver of the car, Axel, Misha explains that he took note of the white M2 after having spotted the M2 earlier in the parking bay and then having been overtaken by Axel a few moments before the video started.
Image: Misha Charoudin
Requesting to get a lap in the passenger seat with the disabled driver, we get a glimpse into the inner workings of this seemingly unassuming M2. A long piece of plastic peeks out from the left of the steering wheel, which is said to be a throttle pad used for accelerating in long straights. On the opposite side is a knob, which is used as a brake pedal, and a tiny button used for acceleration through corners of wind segments.
Image: Misha Charoudin
It takes some serious skill which Axel says has been cultivated over five years, but the way he handles the car, you would easily mistake his skill as the product of decades of training. Pacing out of the gates with an unusual driving apparatus in his right hand and steering wheel in the left, Axel goes on to overtake multiple cars on the track and display some top-tier driving ability.
Although no official time was recorded, this run was likely within the eight-minute mark and doesn’t seem close to the limits of the car or the astonishing driver. Being able to witness such an amazing feat bolsters the appreciation for the wonderful people that share a love for motoring.
Keyword: Watch: Paraplegic driver lights up Nurburgring in M2