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Once the victim of a life-threatening crash, Robert Kubica completes ‘highest goal' in endurance racing with Le Mans victory

CNN

an hour ago

CNN

Once the victim of a life-threatening crash, Robert Kubica completes ‘highest goal' in endurance racing with Le Mans victory

Robert Kubica is a name which engenders strong emotion amongst all motorsport fans. Seen as one of car racing's most prodigious talents in the early 2000s, the Polish driver burst onto the Formula One circuit with BMW-Sauber in 2006. Having claimed a first career win in 2008 at the Canadian Grand Prix and signing a contract to join F1's most coveted team, Ferrari, Kubica's world was turned upside down in 2011 following a serious and near-fatal crash. Competing at the Ronde di Andora rally championship, the Pole was left trapped in his car for over an hour after colliding with a metal barrier at high speed. Suffering from significant blood loss, the then-26-year-old underwent a life-saving seven-hour operation in which he had a partial amputation of his forearm. Further operations followed, with Kubica also suffering severe injuries to his right elbow, shoulder and leg. Lucky to escape with his life, his motorsport career was seemingly over. However, this past weekend and more than 14 years later, Kubica completed what is perceived by many to be the greatest motorsport comeback of all time, winning the iconic 24 hours of Le Mans endurance race. In doing so, he became just the second driver this century to win both an F1 grand prix and Le Mans, joining Fernando Alonso. 'As an endurance racer, this is the highest goal you can achieve. It is the Olympic Games of motorsport, so I am honoured to have won such an event,' Kubica, who was driving for AF Corse alongside Great Britain's Phil Hanson and China's Yifei Ye, told CNN Sports. 'I was a bit surprised by all the attention I got after winning it. From fans, from media – I didn't know so many people had my phone number. 'Even people who aren't into racing text(ed) me, which shows the regard Le Mans is held in. I think we can compare it to the biggest events in sport, and certainly motorsport.' On social media, some fans have likened Kubica's ascent back to the top of racing to a Hollywood movie. 'This makes sense to me that people on the outside would think that,' he said. 'But what they don't see is all the difficult moments and tough times. 'After my accident, I had hard weeks, months, even years, where I struggled to adapt and come to terms with what had happened. Those were very difficult periods in my life and I'm fortunate to have been able to work my way through them.' Reflecting on those periods where he struggled to come to terms with losing out on his dream F1 move to Ferrari, Kubica believes that his strong will power guided him through. 'There were many moments where I could have cracked,' he said. 'But the key for me was that I always had a very strong character. Sometimes before the accident this was probably an obstacle in my life, but during those tough and difficult periods, it certainly helped me.' It is this attitude which Kubica feels helped him so much with his clearly successful transition into the world of endurance racing from F1. Having battled back following his initial rehab and working his way up through the racing circuit, Kubica ultimately managed to reclaim an F1 seat in 2019 for Williams Racing. After what he described himself as a 'tricky return, to put it kindly,' he felt he had other challenges in motorsport to conquer, therefore beginning his shift towards the endurance world. 'The strength of character certainly helped me when joining endurance racing', Kubica said. The 99-race veteran added that the requirement to compete as part of a team unit often proves too much of an obstacle for many F1 drivers looking to enter endurance racing. 'As drivers in F1 or F2 or even as early as karting as a kid, we are told that our biggest enemy is our teammate, that we need to beat them no matter what,' said Kubica. 'But racing in endurance, there is a need to work as a team and not be the star.' With races ranging from six to 24 hours long, Kubica has shared the driving responsibilities in AF Corse's Porsche Hypercar this season with Hanson and Ye. 'My teammates will probably tell you that I can be a little hard on them sometimes but that just comes from my will to win. We actually all get on really well,' he said. 'The biggest thing for me is that I already feel fulfilled as a driver. I have raced in F1 already and don't have that urge to act in my own self-interest to try and impress a manufacturer. 'It's not that I don't want to perform well, of course I'm doing everything I can to do that. But I don't have to do it at the cost of my teammates. 'For younger drivers, there is a risk that you lose focus of what is the most important thing. In endurance, that is to put your teammates in the best possible position, and sometimes you need to sacrifice yourself in order to do that.' On Thursday, Kubica returned to Poland to a hero's welcome. Already a national favourite for his exploits in F1, he cemented his legacy as one of the nation's sporting greats by becoming its first Le Mans champion. 'I had people coming up to me and telling me how they had no interest in racing at all but that they sat and watched the final moments of the race with family and friends,' Kubica explained. 'I even had one woman come up to me and tell me how she burst into tears as I crossed the finish line. It really seems to have been a moment which has gone far beyond sport for not only motorsport fans, but Polish people in general.' As for what comes next for the man once described by Lewis Hamilton as one of the top five drivers in the world, Kubica said that whatever the venture is, it will be fuelled by passion. 'This morning I woke up and I'm already thinking about what is next, about what is possible and what I'd like to do,' the 40-year-old said. 'What is possible? I don't know. But one thing that is for sure is that I will do whatever I would like to do, and not what pays me most money in my pocket or what will bring me the most fame.' He added: 'Knowing myself, the next thing will not be easy. It must be a challenge and an adventure for me. 'That might be trying to come back and win Le Mans again but we'll see. I just want to try and continue to chase my passion and enjoy everything that comes with that.' Many may expect a veteran racer such as Kubica to drive off into the sunset following such a momentous career crescendo. But for the Pole, as long as that passion for the sport is still burning, he will find it hard to walk away. 'My passion has brought me to where I am today. I don't know if I'd have made it back from the accident if it weren't for the drive it gives me,' Kubica said. 'It would have been easy to just say to myself, 'OK, I made it to F1 already so I won't risk driving again.' 'But in the end, my passion was too great to let that happen and even now, I can still feel it there at the same levels it was at when I first started karting as a small kid.' For the time being, before the ultimate decision on his racing future is made, Kubica still has half a season of the World Endurance Championship to complete. 'I always say we have no control over the future and can just influence what is happening now,' he said. 'So for the next few months, I am solely thinking about each race as it comes. 'Hopefully, one day, there will be a time where I can look back on all that I've done, and there will be a lot of emotions when I do. But for now, I am focusing on making more of these moments which can last forever'.

Four-try Johnston closes on record but Storm pip Souths

Yahoo

an hour ago

Yahoo

Four-try Johnston closes on record but Storm pip Souths

Alex Johnston is on track to break the NRL's try-scoring record this season but his four tries were not enough to prevent Ryan Papenhuyzen icing Melbourne's extra-time defeat of South Sydney. Fullback Papenhuyzen sealed the Storm's 25-24 win with his second attempt at field goal in the 84th minute, booting the ball over from 20 metres out at Accor Stadium on Saturday night. Latrell Mitchell had done his utmost to seal a Souths victory on return from State of Origin duty, including kicking to Tyrone Munro for the try that equalised the game with only four minutes to play. But he missed a potentially game-winning sideline conversion thereafter before his only field goal attempt sailed wide from 45 metres out. An error-prone Storm moved to extra time, sealing victory and jumping the Warriors into third spot on the ladder. Mitchell threw cut-out passes down the left side for Johnston's 203rd, 204th and 205th career tries. Johnston then intercepted a Jahrome Hughes pass for his fourth try of the night, moving only six behind the benchmark of 212 that Ken Irvine set in 1973. JOHNSTON HAS 4! 📣 #NRLSouthsStorm — NRL (@NRL) June 21, 2025 The winger's hopes of reaching the record appeared in doubt when the 30-year-old went down with a serious Achilles injury late last season. But he has since scored 11 tries in seven games this year, and with nine more to play in the regular season, is well on track to reach 213 by finals. He also became the first player to score four or more tries in a game against Melbourne since the perennially-successful Storm entered the competition in 1998. The loss is Wayne Bennett's 15th in a row against rival coach Craig Bellamy and came in the pair's record-breaking 44th time coaching against one another. Bennett has not beaten his former protege in any match since 2016, with Souths now in the midst of a four-game losing streak that ensures they will finish the weekend second-last on the ladder. The Storm scored in back-to-back sets to lead 12-0 after six minutes but Bellamy would have been furious that the Storm invited Souths back in with errors. The attacking powerhouse managed only a 68 per cent completion rate in the first half. Melbourne looked ready to break their hosts' hearts as Sua Fa'alogo fielded a Mitchell bomb on the 20-metre line to put Tyran Wishart in. The Rabbitohs equalised when Mitchell dared to kick a long grubber through the line for Munro from 30 metres out on the third tackle. But it was Papenhuyzen who had the last laugh.

CNN

an hour ago

CNN

Once the victim of a life-threatening crash, Robert Kubica completes ‘highest goal' in endurance racing with Le Mans victory

Robert Kubica is a name which engenders strong emotion amongst all motorsport fans. Seen as one of car racing's most prodigious talents in the early 2000s, the Polish driver burst onto the Formula One circuit with BMW-Sauber in 2006. Having claimed a first career win in 2008 at the Canadian Grand Prix and signing a contract to join F1's most coveted team, Ferrari, Kubica's world was turned upside down in 2011 following a serious and near-fatal crash. Competing at the Ronde di Andora rally championship, the Pole was left trapped in his car for over an hour after colliding with a metal barrier at high speed. Suffering from significant blood loss, the then-26-year-old underwent a life-saving seven-hour operation in which he had a partial amputation of his forearm. Further operations followed, with Kubica also suffering severe injuries to his right elbow, shoulder and leg. Lucky to escape with his life, his motorsport career was seemingly over. However, this past weekend and more than 14 years later, Kubica completed what is perceived by many to be the greatest motorsport comeback of all time, winning the iconic 24 hours of Le Mans endurance race. In doing so, he became just the second driver this century to win both an F1 grand prix and Le Mans, joining Fernando Alonso. 'As an endurance racer, this is the highest goal you can achieve. It is the Olympic Games of motorsport, so I am honoured to have won such an event,' Kubica, who was driving for AF Corse alongside Great Britain's Phil Hanson and China's Yifei Ye, told CNN Sports. 'I was a bit surprised by all the attention I got after winning it. From fans, from media – I didn't know so many people had my phone number. 'Even people who aren't into racing text(ed) me, which shows the regard Le Mans is held in. I think we can compare it to the biggest events in sport, and certainly motorsport.' On social media, some fans have likened Kubica's ascent back to the top of racing to a Hollywood movie. 'This makes sense to me that people on the outside would think that,' he said. 'But what they don't see is all the difficult moments and tough times. 'After my accident, I had hard weeks, months, even years, where I struggled to adapt and come to terms with what had happened. Those were very difficult periods in my life and I'm fortunate to have been able to work my way through them.' Reflecting on those periods where he struggled to come to terms with losing out on his dream F1 move to Ferrari, Kubica believes that his strong will power guided him through. 'There were many moments where I could have cracked,' he said. 'But the key for me was that I always had a very strong character. Sometimes before the accident this was probably an obstacle in my life, but during those tough and difficult periods, it certainly helped me.' It is this attitude which Kubica feels helped him so much with his clearly successful transition into the world of endurance racing from F1. Having battled back following his initial rehab and working his way up through the racing circuit, Kubica ultimately managed to reclaim an F1 seat in 2019 for Williams Racing. After what he described himself as a 'tricky return, to put it kindly,' he felt he had other challenges in motorsport to conquer, therefore beginning his shift towards the endurance world. 'The strength of character certainly helped me when joining endurance racing', Kubica said. The 99-race veteran added that the requirement to compete as part of a team unit often proves too much of an obstacle for many F1 drivers looking to enter endurance racing. 'As drivers in F1 or F2 or even as early as karting as a kid, we are told that our biggest enemy is our teammate, that we need to beat them no matter what,' said Kubica. 'But racing in endurance, there is a need to work as a team and not be the star.' With races ranging from six to 24 hours long, Kubica has shared the driving responsibilities in AF Corse's Porsche Hypercar this season with Hanson and Ye. 'My teammates will probably tell you that I can be a little hard on them sometimes but that just comes from my will to win. We actually all get on really well,' he said. 'The biggest thing for me is that I already feel fulfilled as a driver. I have raced in F1 already and don't have that urge to act in my own self-interest to try and impress a manufacturer. 'It's not that I don't want to perform well, of course I'm doing everything I can to do that. But I don't have to do it at the cost of my teammates. 'For younger drivers, there is a risk that you lose focus of what is the most important thing. In endurance, that is to put your teammates in the best possible position, and sometimes you need to sacrifice yourself in order to do that.' On Thursday, Kubica returned to Poland to a hero's welcome. Already a national favourite for his exploits in F1, he cemented his legacy as one of the nation's sporting greats by becoming its first Le Mans champion. 'I had people coming up to me and telling me how they had no interest in racing at all but that they sat and watched the final moments of the race with family and friends,' Kubica explained. 'I even had one woman come up to me and tell me how she burst into tears as I crossed the finish line. It really seems to have been a moment which has gone far beyond sport for not only motorsport fans, but Polish people in general.' As for what comes next for the man once described by Lewis Hamilton as one of the top five drivers in the world, Kubica said that whatever the venture is, it will be fuelled by passion. 'This morning I woke up and I'm already thinking about what is next, about what is possible and what I'd like to do,' the 40-year-old said. 'What is possible? I don't know. But one thing that is for sure is that I will do whatever I would like to do, and not what pays me most money in my pocket or what will bring me the most fame.' He added: 'Knowing myself, the next thing will not be easy. It must be a challenge and an adventure for me. 'That might be trying to come back and win Le Mans again but we'll see. I just want to try and continue to chase my passion and enjoy everything that comes with that.' Many may expect a veteran racer such as Kubica to drive off into the sunset following such a momentous career crescendo. But for the Pole, as long as that passion for the sport is still burning, he will find it hard to walk away. 'My passion has brought me to where I am today. I don't know if I'd have made it back from the accident if it weren't for the drive it gives me,' Kubica said. 'It would have been easy to just say to myself, 'OK, I made it to F1 already so I won't risk driving again.' 'But in the end, my passion was too great to let that happen and even now, I can still feel it there at the same levels it was at when I first started karting as a small kid.' For the time being, before the ultimate decision on his racing future is made, Kubica still has half a season of the World Endurance Championship to complete. 'I always say we have no control over the future and can just influence what is happening now,' he said. 'So for the next few months, I am solely thinking about each race as it comes. 'Hopefully, one day, there will be a time where I can look back on all that I've done, and there will be a lot of emotions when I do. But for now, I am focusing on making more of these moments which can last forever'.

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Once the victim of a life-threatening crash, Robert Kubica completes ‘highest goal' in endurance racing with Le Mans victory

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Once the victim of a life-threatening crash, Robert Kubica completes ‘highest goal' in endurance racing with Le Mans victory

Feeney dominates Darwin to hit four straight race wins

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Once the victim of a life-threatening crash, Robert Kubica completes ‘highest goal' in endurance racing with Le Mans victory

Four-try Johnston closes on record but Storm pip Souths

Once the victim of a life-threatening crash, Robert Kubica completes ‘highest goal' in endurance racing with Le Mans victory

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