Despite losing both arms in a tragic accident, a motorsports enthusiast has managed to pursue his passion by using his feet to drive cars and even competing against able-bodied drivers in drifting competitions.

Bartek Ostalowski lost both his arms in a motorcycle accident in 2006, but that wasn’t enough to kill his dream of one day becoming a professional racecar driver. Finding himself armless at just 20-years-old and faced with the daunting task of learning to drive a car on a race circuit must have been quite the shock for Bartek, but he mustered the courage and the drive to push on, and in three years time he became a master of maneuvering a racecar with his feet. Today, Bartek Ostalowski is the world’s only professional sport driver who drives using his feet.

In order to deal with his physical limitations, Bartek modified his Nissan Skyline GT-R racecar according to his needs, adding a new engine, an independent gearbox, and stronger transmission. The ambitious Polish driver uses his right foot to control the pedals, while steering with his left one. The automatic is controlled with the shoulder.

“After my accident, I was looking for a solution. I asked myself if I wanted to race again what would I need to do?” Bartek told Business Insider. “I heard about someone in Poland who, like me, had no arms, but he drove a car on a daily basis with no problem. After meeting him, my dream and passion for motorsports were alive and strong, and I made the decision to return to racing one day.”

After making a name for himself on the Polish racing circuit, Bartek Ostalowski took on an even bigger challenge, drift racing. If you’re even the least bit familiar with drifting, you probably know how difficult it is, requiring quick reactions and precise hand-eye coordination in order to control the car as it skids around the track. Well, somehow Barek is able to do that using only his feet.

In 2019, Ostalowski finished in ninth place out of 50 drivers in the Polish Drift Championship, one of the most competitive championship series in all of Europe, and the year before that, he won the international Czech Drift Series, beating dozens of other professional sports drivers.

Bartek Ostalowski is nothing short of a real-life superhero and an inspiration to people with disabilities all around the world. he is living proof that, if you truly want to achieve something, you can overcome even seemingly insurmountable challenges.

“Of course I encourage other people with disabilities to get involved in motorsports. It’s a beautiful passion and I think a great form of rehabilitation too. So make your dreams come true,” the Polish driver said.