At first glance, this might seem unthinkable, even insane, and yet it has been going on for eighteen years. Thanks to the determination of one man and his association, visually impaired and blind people take their places behind a steering wheel, initiate chicanes with dexterity, do peaks at 160km/h in a straight line, on the biggest circuits in Europe .
This Tuesday, it was a driving session on the Paul Ricard circuit in Castellet for Monique, 75-year-old blind, and Benjamin, 29-year-old visually impaired, from Aubagne.
“I had never driven before joining the association in 2013specifies the retiree. Driving gives me great sensations, it’s an activity that has become accessible to us who are blind. It’s distracting.”
Driver and instructor
Monique, driving a Clio, leaves the pitlane under the instructions of her co-driver Yanic Girault. Very concentrated, she does so and shifts into gear, passes the first chicane and hits the gas. “Right 10, right 5, left 5, axis, we pass 4th, gas!” In a very calm voice, the instructions based on a clock tell Monique how to take her turn and cut through the air of the finish line.
For Benjamin, a behavioral neuroscience researcher in Aix-Marseille, the activity is much more recent. “I have a visual impairment, pigmentary retina. It is a degenerative disease, the loss of vision is progressive. Currently, I am at 0.5 visual out of 10. I have never been able to drive until a year ago, when I joined the association here on the Castellet circuit, I have always loved thrills, and this is incredible. was the perfect combo. drive the Clio with a manual gearbox. Once my driving skills allow it, I could move on to the Mégane RS 275 and move up. This also allows us to interact with people in our daily lives. We know what we’re talking about, driving. automobile, and this provides a new subject for conversation and sharing.”
An unforgettable experience
Placed in the back of the Clio, we are not getting ahead, our reflexes as a light and a driver are catching up with us and teasing us. No noise or words should be heard, only Yanic’s words should resonate in the cabin. So that Monique can, to the nearest second, align the car as it should.
After two incredible laps of the track, with a happy face, Monique parks in front of the paddock. She had a great time and, for us, the experience will remain unforgettable.
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