(car engine roars)
- I've always pushed the limits
in everything I've ever done.
(engine revs) (tires squeal)
Anything that was extreme,
anything that I could get an adrenaline rush out of,
I was stoked on.
(engine revs)
(techno music)
Ever since I was a little kid
I decided I was going to be a professional racer.
(engine revs)
My parents thought I was crazy.
Everyone just thought I was freaking nuts.
They basically said that
I just wasn't gonna be able to be independent ever again.
You either win or lose.
I figured out my own way to do
everything pretty much in life.
I don't know what I'm gonna race,
I don't know how I'm gonna race,
but I'm gonna race something.
Gotta keep going forward.
(engine roars)
(gently chiming wind chimes)
(shuffling)
(gentle piano music)
I'm Mario Bonfante.
And I'm a quadriplegic professional race car driver.
As a kid I'd tie blankets around my neck
and jump off the highest thing I could find.
I was always hyperactive and really,
I guess, over the top as far as a kid goes.
I never really knew a limit, and I still really don't,
so I would just push and push and push until I found a limit
and then the limit usually ended up
in a pretty drastic result.
Everything happens for a reason
and I made the decision to get on that bike that day.
Nobody forced me, nobody told me to do it
and I can't blame it anybody else but myself.
So after I broke my neck, the hardest thing for me to accept
was giving up my independence
and giving up my racing career
at such an early stage in the game.
For me it was like I didn't have time
to sit and have a pity party,
you just adapt and figure out new ways to do everything.
So I started thinking about
how I can use what I have to go racing still.
(techno music)
Being a quadriplegic I have certain muscle groups
that are stronger than others.
The concept came from me understanding,
analyzing what strengths and weaknesses I had.
I didn't know the actual process of producing a product.
I went to probably 30 different shops,
and asking them if they can help me
with this concept I have
and they're looking at me like I'm crazy.
"You wanna be a race car driver,
like what are you talking about dude?
You can't even hold a pencil, you can't even shake my hand,
how are you going to hold onto a steering wheel?"
I thought, this is gonna be interesting,
like I gotta figure this out.
I started lookin' up different videos
on three dimensional drawings with CAD on YouTube.
I had no choice at that point,
I was like, "Okay, this is what I need."
Not having function of my hands,
I had to figure out how to make them attach to the wheel,
and not be able to let go.
On the first set I actually fabricated
in the garage with my dad,
didn't function right the first time.
And then eventually, I just kept tweaking the system
until I got it to where it was being able to function.
(clicks)
It's like I'm doing a wheelie in this thing right now.
But it goes on,
just like so.
Brake attaches right here.
This side's the throttle, so it's twist throttle,
so that you're able to control
the up shift, downshift, throttle, up shift.
And these basically keep my hands strapped in here.
(clanks)
And lock my hand in like that.
Have a, on switch and power button right there.
(engine roars)
(techno music)
When I created the controls
and made the first demo video on me driving with them,
it was more of a video to bring sponsors
to my racing career.
But obviously I'm not the only one
who wants to have that thrill.
I got interest from a lot of
different people that are quad like myself.
And they're like, "Hey, can we get these controls,
are they gonna be for sale, are the gonna be offered?"
Nice full throttle.
Throttl therapy is one of the things
that we need as adrenaline junkies.
- [Announcer] Driver, this is your second immediate call
to grid, all advance drivers...
- You gotta sacrifice to succeed in certain areas
and appreciate the struggle and what you gain out of it.
(atmospheric techno music)
As far as racing goes,
I'm just not even close to where I wanna be.
(engine revs)
Always wanted to be world champion
and I still believe I can be world champion.
(engine revs)
These controls--it just opens the doors for me
to get actually get to where I want to be.
(revs)
(fast techno music)
I didn't live a typical life prior to my injuries.
(revs)
So I didn't expect to live a typical life after.
(car engines roaring)