KEY POINTS:
Allan Levet (above) may be a paraplegic but as a blokart - land yacht - racer, he is no different from his peers.
"It's a level playing field," the 35-year-old says. "I can compete really well with everybody."
Levet is one of about 150 competitors in this year's New Zealand Blokart Open, beginning today at Papamoa, near Tauranga.
Teams from Australia, Japan and the United States are among those competing at the Blokart Heaven track between now and Saturday.
Since beginning the sport a year ago, Levet has earned several titles, including third in the Pacific Rim Land Sailing Championships.
His fastest speed is 78km/h and he expects speeds of up to 65km/h on the Papamoa track, which is tarseal and designed for all wind directions.
Speaking between practice runs yesterday, he said the sport combined his love of sailing with speed.
"You get the thrill of motor-racing."
Levet sailed dinghies in his early teens and took up motorbike racing a few years later.
After he broke his back racing just before his 19th birthday, he started wheelchair tennis and skiing.
He first saw blokart racing on TV and it has now overtaken his other sports.
Despite working full-time at TelstraClear, he still manages weekly meetings with a blokart club in Auckland.
