This Double Amputee Drifts Better With His Feet Than Most People Do With Their Arms

What’s your excuse?

byDanny Korecki|
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While traveling through Poland, the Hoonigan crew stumbled upon Bartosz Ostalowski—a double amputee drifting aficionado who pilots his Nissan Skyline with only his feet.

After losing both of his arms in a motorcycle accident, Ostalowski quickly adapted. He wears a race shoe on his right foot, while his left foot operates more like a hand. In order to drift, his purpose-built R34 is fitted with an emergency brake pedal above the accelerator in lieu of a hand-controlled lever. He changes gear via a shoulder paddle shifter, and due to using his feet to drift, he sits visibly farther back in the car.

Highlighting the slide-crazed European, Hoonigan's Eugene Jr. is joined by "Danger" Dan Sommer in a recent episode of the team's Field Trip video series. They meet up with Ostałowski while at the Polish Drift Masters competition, shooting video of the miracle worker on-track.

"He's doing with one foot what we can't do with two hands," said Sommer. 

Ostalowski's perseverance is undoubtedly respectable and worth a second look. He joins the ranks of Alex Zanardi, the two-time CART Series champion, who lost his legs in a major crash during the early 2000s. Zanardi is back to competitive action and recently took part in a one-off DTM appearance with plans to race in the 2019 Daytona 24 Hours behind the wheel of a BMW M8 GTE. 

To get all the details on Bartosz and the rest of Hoonigan's Polish excursion, check out the full clip below.

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