The accident, hospital, recovery and victory: the rebirth of Tom Leuillet, European KZ2 champion

“We can talk about everything, that's fine by me”. Thus begins Tom Leuillet, with the courage of those who face their ghosts, aware that it is necessary to do so to leave them behind. In front of us we have a boy with kind features, a shy smile and polite manners. A little in contrast with his approach which is so determined that he convinces us to start our chat by recalling, without too many words, directly the Sunday of 25 April 2021 in Lonato, the day of his terrible accident. It was the fourth and final round of the WSK Super Master Series and Tom was competing in KZ2, the shifter class in which he had been competing since 2015. The 1999-born standard bearer sprinted from thirteenth position on the grid aboard his Praga Kart powered by IAME, but his race, the one that would somehow change his life forever, was destined to last a few metres: at the first bend, Tom's kart came into contact with that of another competitor, was catapulted into the air and started bouncing off the track like a crazed grasshopper. Those in the stands started screaming, the seriousness of the accident was immediately obvious to everyone. The stewards on the track rushed to help Tom and found him lying on the grass. His body was thrown out of the kart before it continued in its frightening series of flips. Fortunately Leulliet was conscious, but seriously injured in his leg. The race to the hospital in Desenzano del Garda started, the first tests, the anxiety, the hope that everything would be resolved for the best.
 
Above, the accident of Tom Leuillet (Prague number 7) in Lonato on 25 April 2021, on the occasion of the fourth and final round of the WSK Super Master Series, in the KZ2 class. Below, the accident seen from another perspective.