Alan “Hammer” Bloore’s story: competing at Targa High Country 2016 with Fadiel Italiana’s Satellite Accelerator.
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Paralysed driver’s ‘dream come true’ as he finishes Targa Tasmania car rally
Queensland driver Alan Bloore, who is paralysed from the chest down, has used a satellite hand control to finish this year’s Targa Tasmania car rally.
He was left with the injuries after a boating accident in 2006, but he said that did not dampen his desire to take part in the six day event.
“Driving after that (the accident) meant only having one hand on the wheel, the other hand working rods for the brake and the throttle,” he said.
“It’s something I’ve always dreamt of doing, it’s a bit like a Sydney Hobart or climbing Mount Everest – it’s not about who gets there first, it’s just about who gets there.”
He used a “fly by wire” system developed in Italy that allowed him to keep both hands on the steering wheel of his Maserati.
“Basically how the system works: you’ve got two millimetres of free play, then you control the system with your thumb joint,” he said.“Once you’ve got in two millimetres, you’ve got about four millimetres from zero RPM to 9,000 RPM.
“So you just drive the throttle with your thumb.”
Mr Bloore, also known as ‘Hammer’, said finishing Targa was a dream come true.
“After 20 years, right now that dream has come true, and I reckon I would be the happiest bloke in the world in a wheelchair and this system made it all happen,” he said.
The car rally finished in Hobart yesterday, with Tasmanian Jason White winning the Modern competition by 26 seconds.
