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| Blind race drivers who can drive at 180 km/h |
The red-colored Toyota Corolla was racing at a speed of 180 mph on the Lachutana circuit.
The place, 44 km south of Lima, which is quiet on normal days, echoed with the screeching of car engines.
After a few more rounds, the car stopped at the designated spot, and the driver took off his helmet, looked at the camera, made a thumbs-up sign, and said, 'I am Pachu Kant and I am blind.'
A hearing aid attached to their ears reveals that they are actually deaf as well.
A dynamic person
48-year-old Pacho Kant can't see anything. They are only capable of sensing light. A disease called 'retinitis pigments affected his eyesight. In 2005, he became blind.
But after spending some time with him, it becomes clear that the disease took away his sight but failed to affect the energy of his personality.
Pachu Kant, dressed in a racing suit, told BBC Mundo: "When I went blind, I decided it wasn't going to stop me."
When he had to give up driving, he says it was a difficult phase for him, but he decided to rebuild his life around his passion.
He says that he loved cars since childhood.
He has a workshop in Lima and also deals in buying and selling cars and trucks.
In his office, he negotiates deals with the help of a phone voice assistant so animatedly that one sometimes wonders if he is actually blind.
But this doubt disappears when they enter the workshop. He walks holding the shoulder of his friend Peru Polar.
In fact, this story is incomplete without Peru. When they started participating in local races together, Peru would drive the car while Pacho looked after the car's operations, repairs, and strategy.
Pacho remembers how he too started driving in races. One day I told Peru I want to drive in your car. He said sure, whenever you want.
It was a strange idea but after some preparation, it became a reality. Peru always sits together and tells Pacho what to do and at what time.
Sign language
With the help of preparation on the race circuit, they have created a language of signs that Pacho can follow even when the engine noise is inaudible.
For example, when Peru touches his wrist, Pacho knows it's time to hit the brakes. If they touch twice, it means to brake hard.
A specific signal is also fixed for emergencies.
"When he keeps slapping my arm, it means stop you crazy man, or we'll both die," Pacho said with a laugh.
After practice, Pacho started racing, so he said he wanted to show people that 'no difficulty is too big.'
Now Pachu has memorized the 2.3 km track of the Lachutana race circuit. Their next challenge was to race in a place that was unfamiliar to them.
He also completed this challenge during a recent visit to Ecuador.
"There were a lot of fans there and it was an inspiring experience for me," says Pacho.
Sight recovery?
His fastest lap at Lachautana Circuit is one minute and 30 seconds. "It's not about driving a fast car, it's about giving a message to people that you can never stop, you have to keep going," he says.
Pachu is a businessman, a car enthusiast, and a father too. His 15-year-old daughter lives with him since he separated from his own wife.
When her daughter was born, her sight was gone. "If my sight is restored, I will see my daughter first," he says.
But Pachu needs a retina transplant which is not available.
He hopes that one day with the help of science, his sight will be restored.
But he says, 'I can't stop because of my illness, so I continue to try to be a better father, a better person, and a better businessman every day.'
And so even though he can't see anything in front of him, Pacho keeps his foot on the accelerator.