How Lance Fenderson captured his Pikes Peak ride

Insta360 supported para-athlete Lance Fenderson on his comeback to racing, a collaboration that marked the beginning of a strategic relationship with a leading nonprofit in the adaptive sports space.

The short documentary of Lance’s story, presented by Insta360, is now live on YouTube – and you can watch it here —, offering a powerful firsthand account of his comeback and a deeper look at the community, resilience, and purpose that fueled his historic climb of Pikes Peak.

A spinal cord injury in 2019 left Lance Fenderson paralyzed from the chest down… but Lance refused to give up on his dream of racing. In June 2025, he returned to the track to take on one of the world’s most dangerous courses — a 12.42-mile, 156-turn mountain ascent through Colorado’s Rockies — and in doing so, redefined what’s possible for adaptive athletes in motorsport.

Throughout his rehabilitation and return to racing, Lance used Insta360’s X4 to review and refine his performance. With its 8K 360 capture and AI-powered editing tools, the camera became a key part of his training — helping him analyze runs, identify improvements, and share his perspective with the world. For Pikes Peak 2025, Insta360 stepped in as a proud sponsor, offering not only financial and technical support but also storytelling collaboration, ensuring Lance had both the platform and the tools to document his journey. Using the new Insta360 X5, he captured the ride from his unique POV, offering an immersive look at a comeback built on grit, innovation, and belief.

“Insta360 is honored to sponsor Lance in his return to Pikes Peak. If there’s one thing we love doing, it’s backing people with powerful stories to tell, and this is certainly one,” said Max Ritcher, Co-Founder & VP Marketing at Insta360. “Our goal is simple: to help more creators like Lance share their stories, compete with confidence, and be seen.”

Just one week before race day, disaster struck. Lance crashed during a test run, severely damaging his car and casting serious doubt on whether he’d make it to the start line.

“We had that crash during test weekend… and there was a lot of doubt about whether I could even make it back here,” said Lance. “But they [the sponsors] called people they knew and got the car back together in less than a week. And it drove perfectly. The mountain wants you to mess up. But for me, overcoming adversity — that’s what’s made me who I am.”

Thanks to the dedication and support of all the mission partners backing Lance, including Insta360, BMW M Motorsport, Yokohama, and the High Fives Foundation, what once seemed impossible was made possible in just a few days.

This collaboration also marked the beginning of a strategic relationship between Insta360 and the High Fives Foundation — a leading nonprofit in the adaptive sports space and a longtime supporter of Lance.

Together, the two organizations are now exploring new ways to empower more adaptive athletes like Lance — by providing gear, production support, and storytelling resources to help amplify their journeys. The goal is to bring these powerful, underrepresented stories to wider audiences — and to inspire others navigating similar challenges around the world.