Robert Tyler Wickens (born March 13, 1989) is a Canadian racing driver from Guelph, Ontario,[2] driving in the Michelin Pilot Challenge for Bryan Herta Autosport.

Wickens left DTM after the 2017 season and signed to drive for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in the 2018 IndyCar Series,[3] going on to claim pole position in his debut race at the 2018 St. Petersburg Grand Prix.

His promising debut IndyCar season came to a premature end when a violent crash during the 500-mile race at Pocono left him a paraplegic.

[5] In 2022, Wickens returned to full-time racing in the Michelin Pilot Challenge with Bryan Herta Autosport, driving a Hyundai car with adapted hand controls in the TCR category.

He continued his participation in 2009, but switched to Kolles & Heinz Union and only competed in the Hockenheim and Dijon rounds, failing to score a point.

Despite five retirements, Wickens ended up as the runner-up in the championship, albeit 51 points behind runaway champion Andy Soucek.

[18] Following conclusion of the season, he remained at the circuit for the young driver test competing for both Marussia Virgin Racing and the Lotus Renault GP team.

[19][20] On April 3, 2012, Mercedes announced the revival of the Mercedes-Benz Junior Team that has guided several notable drivers in their racing careers like Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Karl Wendlinger and Michael Schumacher.

[21] In June 2017, Wickens joined Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for the IndyCar Series' Kohler Grand Prix at Road America.

7 car during practice in place of Mikhail Aleshin, who had competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a week prior and was unable to return to the United States in time for the start of the Grand Prix weekend due to problems surrounding his immigration visa.

The cockpit's tub then spun off of the top of the SAFER barrier and landed back on the track and slid to a stop on the straight just beyond turn 2.

The crash initiated a multi-car pile up which eliminated Hunter-Reay, Wickens' teammate James Hinchcliffe, Takuma Sato and Pietro Fittipaldi.

[30] The race was red flagged while Wickens was extricated from the car, with Indycar officials stating he was "awake and alert", before being transferred to hospital by helicopter.

Subsequent reports indicated that Wickens was admitted to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest with fractures to his legs, spine and right forearm in addition to pulmonary contusion.

[35][38] Wickens' car was withdrawn from the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, while teammate James Hinchcliffe, also involved in the accident, was cleared to race.

[40] On 21 November 2018, Wickens published a video of him walking a few steps with machine assistance during his rehab, showcasing the movement of his legs.

A consistent season with several podium finishes saw the pair claim the TCR championship at the last race in Road Atlanta.

During the first race of the 2024 Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie at the Nordschleife, Wickens was involved in an accident driving a Hyundai Elantra N, approximately half way through the 4 hour event at the Döttinger Höhe section of the circuit.

His team, Bryan Herta Autosport, released a statement confirming Wickens was conscious and would spend the night under precautionary observation.

They finished 16th in the GTE class and 45th in the overall classification [49][50] Wickens is the son of Tim and Lisa, and has an older brother - Trevor - who operated Hamilton based kart racing team Prime Powerteam.

[51] On 28 September 2019, Wickens married Toronto native Karli Woods a Canadian YouTuber and Cosplayer in a ceremony held at Carmel, Indiana.