Dakar Rally: West Vancouver man aims to be first amputee to race on motorcycle

Four years after a life-altering collision on B.C.'s Coquihalla Highway, a West Vancouver man is aiming to become the first amputee to race the gruelling Dakar Rally on a motorcycle.

In 2010, Erez Avramov suffered significant injuries to his ribs, right femur and ankle after his car skidded on black ice and into an oncoming truck. After half a dozen operations, doctors told Avramov, an outdoor sports enthusiast, that he had a chance of a full recovery, but the pain in his right leg remained so agonizing that in 2013, Avramov chose to have it amputated below the knee.

As Avramov adjusted to a prosthetic leg, the idea of fulfilling his 20-year dream to race in the Dakar  Rally — known as the world's toughest off road competition — resurfaced.

"When the accident happened, the first thing that I thought was, 'That's it. The dream is gone,'" Avramov told The Early Edition. "The first thing that goes through your mind is, I should have done it before."

To race in the 2016 Dakar Rally, Avramov must first compete in qualifying races in the spring. He began training two months ago.

"I'm not a daredevil, I'm not there for the adrenaline rush or try to test my limits," he said.

"I survived the car accident, I'm grateful for every day I have and I wouldn't try to risk my life now. But I believe that when there is a big dream, you don't need to follow the logic in it, you need to follow it."

To hear the full conversation with Erez Avramov and his wife Sonja Picard, click the audio labelled: Amputee eyes motorcycle race.