a racer, there was a chance I could come home beaten up or in a box… I
never imagined that I would come home blind for life.”
Of course, Parker went through quite a major struggle coming to terms
with his new reality and doesn’t hide the fact that his severe depression
was crippling. Struggling with suicidal ideations, Parker simply couldn’t
give up on his lifelong passion of racing. Instead of giving up, he decided
that “you can make excuses, or you can make it happen,” and devised a
plan to get back to the sport he loved – blind.
Incredibly, Parker built a three-wheeled, 70 cc motorcycle that he
could drive while sightless. Using his experience as a racer and an
auditory guidance system, Parker and his Tragedy to Triumph
Racing team made history in August of 2013 as the first blind
man to compete at the Bonneville Salt Flats. He went on
to set an FIM-recognized world record for his class, with
no special exemption for visual impairment, in 2014.
Having unquestionably shown that it was possible to
race while blind, Parker upped the ante and decided to try
for the title of the World’s Fastest Blind Man, a feat that
would require him to go 210 mph with no human assistance.
In 2017, Parker acquired a salvage title 2008 C6 Corvette – a
fitting comeback candidate, considering his catastrophic accident
had also been in a ‘Vette. With no engine and no transmission in
the cadaver car, Parker knew he had quite a journey ahead of him, but
he was inspired by the challenge and had a vision that no amount of
naysaying could dim.
However, Parker knew that he would need tremendous support to
see his dream come to fruition. A machinist by trade, Parker was still
teaching shop at his local high school – even while blind – and decided to
put his skills to work. To help raise money for his project, Parker began
machining and selling custom-made pens (available for purchase at
TheBlindMachinist.com) and also reached out to multiple manufacturers
to invite them to be involved.
Although the car itself was Parker’s design, he knew
he couldn’t be hands-on for every step of the process.
Even though Parker did fabricate much of it himself,
he also relied on the help and generosity of others.
Inspired by Parker’s incredibly journey, the build of
his ’08 Corvette would not have been possible without
PARKER IS SURE TO GIVE CREDIT TO THE COUNTLESS
INDIVIDUALS WHO HELPED HIM ACCOMPLISH HIS GOAL.
THE TEAM THAT JOINED HIM ON THE RECORD ATTEMPT
TRIP INCLUDED HIS FIANCÉ, JENNIFER STEGALL, CREW
CHIEF JIMMY BOYKIN, VARIOUS SPECIALISTS, A TEAM
PHOTOGRAPHER AND EVEN A BOEING ENGINEER.
the generous support from sponsors and supporters. His unique mission
was welcomed by many, and the vast majority of his car was completed
by way of donations.
“Safety was critical to me, considering what I had been through,” notes
Parker, who was gifted a C6 Corvette roll cage from Stormin’ Normand’s
Custom Rollcages. “Art Gravatt from Little Arts Race Cars donated
several weekends to come up to thrash, fit the cage, add more bars, and
weld it all up.”
Additionally, SPA Technique and Jason Digby of Mag’s Fab Worx
donated the 20-pound liquid fire suppression system – the same
kit that fellow racer and inferno survivor Lyle Barnett runs.
Delaware Chassis Works donated a complete set of Stroud
Safety equipment, and ISP Safety donated the driver and
passenger head containment assemblies.
For the Corvette’s powerplant, assembled by Fulton
Competition Race Engines, Dart Machinery donated
the engine block while Wiseco donated the pistons and
K1 Technologies donated both the crankshaft and connecting
rods. John Bewley at FullProof Performance sent
the custom cam, and Frankenstein Engine Dynamics sent
the custom-ported Brodix BR3 LS-series cylinder heads. Jesel
rocker arms, Trend pushrods, and valve covers from Jared Thompson
at Thompson Motorsports completed the bullet.
Additional donations included a torque converter from Performance
Torque Converters (PTC), a complete fuel system from Aeromotive, brakes
from Baer, coilovers and suspension components from RideTech, 15-gallon
water tank from Chiseled Performance, stainless headers and billet
driveshaft couplers from Hinson Motorsports, stainless exhaust system
fabricated by Jimmy Boykin at Columbus Custom Exhaust, GT2 rear
diffuser from Breathless Performance, and a set of Nitto Tire-wrapped
Weld RT-S wheels from JEGS. Last but certainly not least, ARP Fasteners
supplied the requisite engine and chassis hardware.
It truly was a group effort to get Parker going again,
as Diversified Painting in Poulan, Georgia, sprayed
the Corvette with its eye-catching red hue and Matt
Inscho took the time to build the rear sheet metal
divider in the car.
Parker used his experience as a former chassis build-