Launched on his car at over 200 km / h, Kevin Simonato is a pilot like any other.
Galvanized by adrenaline, he even forgets the daily pains.
Those at the hip which gives him the impression of living wobbly, "as if we were half sitting on books", he describes.
At the age of 30, this inhabitant of Lardy (Essonne) joined the Honda France team in early September and will ride the Honda CBR1000RR-R from 2021 on the circuits in France and internationally.
Moments of freedom for this very young dad in a wheelchair.
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His life changed on August 6, 2013. “I was going on a motorcycle to the barracks where I was a volunteer firefighter when a car hit me at an intersection,” he says.
I remember being very upset because I was going to be late.
It was when I wanted to turn around that I realized that something was wrong.
"
Diagnosed with paraplegia, at 23
Yet well protected, Kevin Simonato was not wearing back protector that day.
“I only had one fracture, my spine.
The diagnosis fell: at 23 he was paraplegic.
“It took me ten days to complete,” he recalls.
I had been told that a hematoma was compressing the marrow.
I told myself that once I was absorbed, I would regain my mobility.
"
PODCAST. Listen to Kevin's testimony for Code Source, Le Parisien's news podcast
Very quickly, everything had to be learned all over again.
Starting with everyday gestures, and handling your new car, the wheelchair.
Meeting Stéphane Paulus, also a paraplegic after a motorcycle accident, changed his life.
This commercial in medical devices had come to offer him equipment.
But very quickly the conversation takes another turn.
Both are passionate about two-wheelers.
"Before setting off, it's a little stressful"
It is together that they will create the Handi Free Riders association, in conjunction with the French Motorcycling Federation.
Their goal, to allow casualties of life, like them, to get back on a motorcycle.
For Kevin Simonato it will be in 2015 on the Croix-en-Ternois circuit, in the Pas-de-Calais.
The bike has obviously been adapted to the handicap.
The speeds are changed with the thumb.
The feet are clipped into boots similar to ski boots.
A strap passed around the legs keeps the thighs in place.
At the start, as at the finish, two people are present to secure the pilot.
“Before setting off, it's a bit stressful, but you quickly realize that you haven't lost anything,” he says.
It’s just fun.
"
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To go even further, the association set up the first disabled sport race in 2016, followed the year after by the first Coupe de France.
About twenty pilots are participating.
And quickly Kevin Simonato stands out.
In 2019, perched on his Kawasaki 1000 cubic centimeters, he finished 4th in the French Championship and 12th in the International Cup.
Hip pain interrupted his activity
“Since then, I haven't been back on a motorcycle.
I miss it but my hip was hurting too much.
If we do not have health, we cannot be efficient.
I didn't want to take any chances for a few motorcycle rides.
I was fitted with a prosthesis in June, he explains.
Since then, I have resumed physical training to be ready for the next season.
I have never been patient, I am learning to be so.
"
Progress closely followed by his relatives, who are always present to support him, starting with his wife.
“They never forbade me to ride my bike again.
They see me fulfilled.
Without them, I would be at the back of my couch watching the others roll around.
This adventure is also a human story.
"
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Get back on a motorcycle, therapy
Get back in the saddle.
On the motorcycle, as in life.
By creating the Handi Free Riders association in 2014, Stéphane Paulus - a native of Orsay (Essonne) - wanted to allow those injured in life to practice their passion, despite their disability.
“It's not the machine that's dangerous, it's the environment,” he recalls.
On the circuits, you can have fun by keeping your head on your shoulders so as not to take any risks.
"
A pleasure that serves as therapy.
“There's a lot that I picked up from the bottom of the hole.
Getting back on the bike was their last goal.
For the most part, life ends when you are disabled.
There, we give them a dynamic.
By getting on a motorbike, they regain their freedom.
"
The association currently has around thirty members and regularly organizes initiation days.
The next one is scheduled for early October.
“Not everyone has the means to enter the competition.
They are offered to spend a day of leisure, driving on a circuit, just for fun.
"
Information on the
Handi Free Riders Facebook page