Drifting with Hand Controls

While you’d think being confined to a wheelchair might limit your ability to race cars – especially dealing with the gas and brake pedals –  that didn’t stop Rob “Chairslayer” Parsons from continuing his career as a drift racer after a serious dirt bike accident left him severely injured back in 2011. In this episode of Tuerck’d, Ryan Tuerck and Chris Forsberg get a chance to check out Rob’s very special drift car, which he personally outfitted with hand controls.

Rob’s Nissan S13 is outfitted with a supercharged LS1 engine with about 600 horsepower, which is awesome enough all on its own, but the fact that he can control the gas, brake, clutch and shifting all with his hands is what really makes this car impressive. Adding to the fun – it’s a right-hand drive import.

A custom lever sits to the left of the steering wheel. Pushing down on the level applies gas, while pushing in applies the brake. A bike brake-style control applies the clutch,  and a pair of buttons lets Rob upshift and downshift. All of these operations can be done with his left hand, while his right hand does the steering. He’s also modified the emergency brake handle to automatically activate the clutch.

After Rob explains the car, Ryan and Chris get the opportunity to drift the car themselves, with mixed results. It’s clear that it requires a tremendous amount of coordination and practice to control the car. If you have trouble with a clutch and a manual gearbox, this car will make that seem like the easiest thing ever.