The 23-year-old driver, @Lydia Sempere, has participated in the first round of the Spanish Touring Car Championship in Navarra with the @Renault Mégane RS, and has the support of the Renault Foundation for Inclusion and Sustainable Mobility (FRIMS).
"After having experimented more with the car, I am happy to have finished all the races despite the setback, and to have had this learning experience in this new world," the driver commented on her social networks.
Sempere does not give up and is clear about what she has to improve when she is on the track again. "It is true that it has been a difficult weekend. I didn't expect for my hearing loss to make it so difficult for me to hear and understanding the engine, and change the gears at the right time. It is something that I have to improve in every practice and race."
When Sempere started in the world of motorsports, she could not compete on equal terms with her opponents, despite having received two cochlear implants at a very young age. At the time, she wore a regular helmet, which made it difficult for her cochlear implant microphones to pick up sounds. So she drove in quiet. It was not until 2008 that she had a helmet adapted to her cochlear implants. Now able to communicate with her team and listen to her engine, she improved her track records until she won the Murcian CAT Rotax Karting Championship.
Renault Group Spain has been participating in the national competition continuously for 53 seasons, and this time, they decided to bet on Sempere, who is also the FRIMS ambassador together with the Paralympic athlete Teresa Perales.
Carlos Fraile, director of FRIMS has stated: "These two individuals best represent the fight for inclusion and equality. We are certain that this type of partnership guarantees mutual enrichment, innovation, and career advancement."
Advanced Bionics
20 July 2021