He’s back in the race
When Coeur d’Alene resident Brett Smrz picked up a book written by race car driver Alex Zanardi, he had no idea that it would come to mean so much to him.
Zanardi, who lost both of his legs in a race car accident, wrote the book “My Sweetest Victory” documenting his challenges.
Just months later Brett, then 16, competed in his first pro car race of his career in April 2007. But just days after that Brett too suffered a devastating blow to his young career.
A longtime gymnast, Brett was jumping on a trampoline and knew the minute he completed his flip that something was wrong.
“I wasn’t rotated enough and was too high,” said Brett. “My leg went numb right away so I knew something was wrong.” He did not realize the extent of just how wrong until a few days later. He had broken the tibia in half, and the bone had moved, severing his artery and damaging his nerves.
In the days immediately following the accident, Brett’s parents Shirley and Gregg, braced themselves wondering what news the doctors would tell them next.
“Every day they would come back with more bad news,” said Shirley, who praised Brett’s doctors for their work.
After enduring five surgeries in five days, which included cleaning out all the portions of his leg which had died, the doctors finally told Brett and his family they thought it was best to amputate the leg.
Shirley broke down in tears.
“Brett reached up and grabbed my arm and said, ‘Mom, it’s OK. I’m all good with that,’ ” said Shirley, who continues to be amazed by her son’s courage. “He never once felt sorry for himself.”
In the end there were nine surgeries within 13 days.
Notified about Brett’s accident and amputation by the people who run the race track in California where Brett practices, Zanardi called Brett in the hospital.
“He told me to never give up on what I want to do,” said Brett.
But giving up never entered this young man’s mind.
“I wasn’t going to say no (I couldn’t race),” said Brett. “I always just worked at trying to get back in the car.”
Within two weeks of receiving his prosthesis last September, Brett was already walking with just the assistance of a cane. Shirley said the rapid progress stunned the doctors. Six months later, Brett still uses a cane so he doesn’t get tired, but with the help of his ongoing physical therapy he gets stronger all the time.
Brett’s interest in racing began at age 12 when his dad, a former motorcycle racer who now is a stuntman coordinator for the film industry, decided to buy go karts for the family to enjoy.
“Brett was so good we decided to get him into racing,” said Shirley. Brett quickly became a nationally recognized champion. Home-schooled so that he can devote more time to his racing career, Brett is a straight-A student.
In his three years racing go karts, Brett received several awards including Grand National Champion and the esteemed Ekarting News Young Driver of the Year award.
While Brett enjoyed go kart racing, he anxiously awaited the time when he could get his driver’s license. It wasn’t until then that he could begin to race cars. In his first race, a Formula Ford 1600 series competition only three short weeks after receiving his license, Brett finished in first place. A couple of weeks later at the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup race held at the Houston Grand Prix, Brett placed third in the main event.
Within 24 hours of returning home from that race, he had his trampoline accident – the accident that may have taken a portion of his leg, but not his spirit.
Brett says his biggest daily challenge is learning to walk with his prosthesis and to adjust it.
“It influences everything you do and how you walk,” said Brett.
He experienced phantom pains – the feeling of pain in an absent limb or a portion of a limb – about three times a day immediately following the amputation, but today says he only has them about once a month.
Because he cannot feel when his left foot slips off the clutch, Brett said he had to construct a bracket which holds his foot in place on the pedal. When he pushes down on the clutch, Brett can feel full pressure in his knee so that part is not a problem he said.
Amazing everyone in the racing world and at home, Brett returned to racing less than a month after receiving his prosthetic leg. He competed in the Sports Car Club of America San Francisco Region Formula Ford 1600 Series Triple Header Round where he swept all the qualifying races as well as the three main events in the F1600 class. He is currently unbeaten in the Formula Ford 1600 class and received the SCCA Regional Driver of the Year award in 2007.
Brett keeps his own race car in California where he practices and travels nationwide to compete in races. While at home in Coeur d’Alene he practices on one of his two simulators.
He is currently seeking sponsors for his career and hopes to find financial support from the company who manufactured his prosthetic leg.
Never once feeling his life would be different due to his injury, Brett said he believes everything in life happens for a reason and people should do their best to deal with what life gives them.
Only in the dawn of his career, Brett has already achieved what many racers work years to accomplish.
As for Brett’s future, he is looking forward to a career in racing and possibly coaching. Brett has also worked in the film industry appearing in films such as Bad News Bears, Mr. Woodcock and others. He said his prosthetic leg will not be an obstacle if he ever chooses to go into the films.