Kurt Kossmann (born Kurt Arthur Kossmann on April 28, 1966) is an American professional

race car Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organi ...

driver who is known for being the first amputee to compete in the

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layou ...

. Kurt is a cancer survivor who lost his left leg,

above the knee ''Above the Knee'' is a Canadian short comedy film, directed by Greg Atkins and released in 2010.Julia Belluz"Ode to the short film: The neglected half of TIFF that shouldn't be" ''Maclean's'', September 15, 2010. The film stars Stephen Bogaert as ...

, to an osteosarcoma in 1988. Kurt underwent thirteen months of chemotherapy before making a full recovery. During his recovery Kurt designed a prosthetic leg specifically for operating the clutch system in a race car. This device allowed him to continue his racing career in the

Barber Pro Series The Barber Dodge Pro Series was a professional open-wheel auto racing series from 1986 to 2003. It was one of the first professional spec series for open-wheel racecars in North America. The races were primarily on road and street courses in Nor ...

Grand American Road Racing Championship The Rolex Sports Car Series was the premier series run by the Grand American Road Racing Association. It was a North American-based sports car series founded in 2000 under the name Grand American Road Racing Championship to replace the failed ...

, and eventually enter the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2009. Kurt has worked with various charities and organizations to raise awareness and donations for childhood cancer. Since overcoming his illness, Kurt has teamed with

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

Hole in the Wall Gang Camp The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, based in Ashford, Connecticut, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, residential summer camp, and year-round center serving children and their families coping with cancer and other serious illnesses and condition ...

and One Lap of America for fundraising events. Kurt was also the only amputee racer to ever compete in the BMW BoxerCup motorcycle series. He raced the American inauguration event at the Daytona International Speedway in 2003 during the annual

Daytona Bike Week Daytona Beach Bike Week, also called Daytona Bike Week, is a motorcycle event and rally held annually in Daytona Beach, Florida. Since 2021, events have been added in DeLeon Springs. Approximately 500,000 people make their way to the rally area f ...

References

Grand Am Racing
*Daytona News January 26, 2008 page 02D Buddy Shacklette
NASCAR RacingSpeedTV interview January 2009Homestead Miami Speedway

External links

* http://www.kossmannracing.com 1971 births Living people American racing drivers American amputees 24 Hours of Daytona drivers Rolex Sports Car Series drivers Barber Pro Series drivers {{US-autoracing-bio-stub