Kudos to Kubica

When someone makes it out of a near death situation alive, and miraculously at that, the first thought is always one of thanks and relief, and only later comes the thorny issue of how coping with the aftermath of such an event will impact on said individual's day-to-day life. Suffering the partial severing of a hand, the shattering of the bones in an arm, and a bruised eye socket following a high speed car wreck, then being trapped in the wreckage for over an hour waiting for assistance is a devastating situation to befall anyone unfortunate to be in that wrong place and the wrong time. Revealing that the victim was competing in a rally and therefore subjecting himself (and his co-driver) to such inherent dangers takes nothing away from their plight, but it does perhaps alleviate some sympathy in the face of  such an unhappy ending being something of an occupational hazard.

But for Robert Kubica, Lotus-Renault F1 driver, hotly tipped for the 2011 season as a potential threat to the incumbent favourties, the plot is rather thicker. Firstly I wish Robert the very best for a full and speedy recovery, of both health and racing form. But it's plain why the Pole's accident last weekend in Andorra has sparked such a furore, in that whether Kubica right, justified even, in entering into an intense rally just weeks before the start of a potentially very successful season for himself and the team. 'Despite' his incredible escape, he remains at the beginning of an extremely difficult road to recovery (forgive the unintentional pun).

Kubica's 2007 Canada GP jaw-dropper

The intricate skills of his surgeons may yet allow him to restablish full funtionality in his right arm, but even so, will his strength, reaction times and psychological confidence recover adequately to allow him to compete in the world'd most high stakes motorsport? Lest we forget he returned with gusto from his horrific Montreal impact in 2007. By high stakes I recognise that other series may have less safety legislation, and higher risk, but F1 is also a tricky game due to the vast amounts of money and time invested in it in the pursuit of hundreth-of-a-second one-upmanship. Renault will struggle to recover from such a blow so close to the curtain raiser in Bahrain next month, while filling Kubica's respected racing boots against the world's best is a fairly unenviable task, most likely to be bestowed upon Williams F1's Nick Heidfeld.

How Lotus-Renault GP 2011 looked this time last week

So was Robert Kubica wrong to jeapordise his own safety and others' efforts in order to go out and get his kicks in Skoda Fabia?
Absolutely not. The mere fact that Kubica gets himself 'in the zone' for the season by getting stuck into a physical, gritty, less glamorous motorsport, understanding the danger and yet still pushing himself, should be unequivocally applauded. His ambition and drive overcame his responsibilites to impress his sponsors or engage in the ever-politicised realm of Formula One. He has undoubtedly paid a heavy price, in most likely being out for an entire season, losing a year's worth of experience, fitness, and youth. But the attitude to go out and do racing for the love of it, not for the livelihood, has something of the old greats about it, the James Hunt or Stirling Moss gene, that fans often moan is missing from modern racers who are just as careful how they negotiate and handle themselves in a press conference as they do through Spa or Monza.
Thumbs up Kubica, and best of luck getting back in the driving seat. Formula One will miss him this year, but oddly, up to the point where he had his untimely meeting with an Armco barrier, perhaps his need for speed example might inspire some classic racing in his absence.

And if you're in any doubt about the calibre of control he brings to the track, look no further than this. Wonder if Jenson Button will miss him..