That's when the now 43-year-old's second life began. Obsessed by speed, Llovera took up rally driving, a pursuit which has taken him close to the top of the world again.
"There are many similarities between skiing and driving," he says. "You need to calculate your trajectory, evaluate the risks and control yourself."
Llovera races in the World Rally Championship and this week will compete in the Super 2000 division of the Rally of New Zealand, which will wind its way through Northland, Auckland and Waikato. The Super 2000s are a level down from the premier drivers.
The car he is driving - a Fiat Abarth Grande Punto - is, along with Skoda and Ford, similar in design to the planned 2011 WRC cars.
The Super 2000s are described as light, nimble and able to excel on fast-flowing roads by taking corners quickly with late braking.
The only significant modification for the Andorran, who sits in his wheelchair in the car, is that his car is adapted with hand controls for the accelerator, brake and clutch.
Llovera revels in the challenge his disability poses.
"I get tired of using my hands but it comes down to training hard so that I can get good timing," he says. "I still have to do the same kilometres as anyone else and people are sometimes pleasantly surprised by my standard of driving after they've seen me get in the car.
"I am lucky to be able to race in the same championship as some of these guys. I feel like I'm driving on behalf of all the disabled people in the world. And if we can drive, it reduces our dependence on others massively."
Llovera's tenacity has impressed Rally New Zealand chairman Chris Carr.
"He runs a rally car from his wheelchair using just hand controls," Carr says. "That's amazing, because anyone who's seen a driver in action knows their feet dance all over the place. He ain't going to win but it is a huge victory for disabled people. Albert's held in high regard by his fellow competitors as a result."
LLOVERA WON
the Andorran quad bike championship in 1987 and has steadily built his career since.
Until this latest move in the S-WRC this season, he had been a factory driver for Fiat, racing the Spanish Rally Championship and other European events. The S-WRC class has 10 events paralleling the main championship and drivers have to compete at a minimum of seven rallys.
So why is Llovera travelling all the way here to compete, when he could choose his events closer to home? The simple reason is that Mum's coming to watch.
"It will be the first time she has watched me race, plus she's an artist with a particular interest in photography so had always wanted to visit New Zealand to see some of the scenery," he says.
"I'm lucky my parents have supported me in my career but it's the first time they've travelled with me. I also have three older brothers who back me and a 13-year-old daughter, Cristina."
The rally driver lifestyle takes its toll on family matters. Llovera says he was absent from his Andorra home for 255 days last year. But there is still something special about returning to the principality nestled in the Pyrenees mountain range on the border of France and Spain.
"I love Andorra. It is similar to Monaco but you don't have to deal with royalty or too many Lamborghinis."
It's worth noting that on average Andorrans live the second longest of any nation in the world. Llovera is certainly making the most of his second life.
