October 1, 2018
The one who's behind the wheel for everyone
His four limbs were amputated after contracting a deadly infection, but Frédéric Sausset achieved his dream when he finished the world’s most prestigious car race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We followed him as he takes on his next challenge: building the first racing team of disabled drivers.
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“He didn't know it was impossible, so he did it. That’s exactly how Fred is,” said Stéphane Chéné, an AXA general agent and a friend of Frédéric Sausset, in a paraphrase of the words of Mark Twain.
It would be hard to find a better example of courage and humility. In the summer of 2012, while on vacation in the Landes region, Frédéric suffered a slight injury to his finger and contracted an extremely rare, necrotizing blood infection. He fell into a coma, and when he woke up one month later, his four limbs had been amputated.
Unable to accept the idea that his disability could stop him from fulfilling his life ambitions, Frédéric decided that very winter of 2012 to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He raced in “the most difficult race in the world” in 2016, with AXA’s support, and finished 36th.
Frédéric Sausset’s “a wheel for everyone” racing team
After this achievement, Frédéric took on a new challenge: helping drivers with disabilities rise to international championship level by joining his auto racing team, which is the first of its kind: La Filière Frédéric SAUSSET, Un Volant pour Tous.
We spoke with him on the Paul Ricard circuit in France’s Var department, where the drivers of La Filière practice. Watch the video:
