For James Courtney, it was like nothing even happened.
The V8 Supercar driver took to the wheel of his Holden on Saturday for the first time since breaking his right leg in a sickening crash last November.
The incident, in the penultimate round of the year at Phillip Island, ended Courtney's season prematurely and cost him valuable training time in the off-season.
But the 2010 champion put the horror behind him as he sent his No.22 Holden through its paces at the official test day for the year at Sydney Motorsport Park.
"I'm not crying as I'm driving or anything or hiding as I go around corners," a smiling Courtney told AAP.
"I'm fine physically. No issues. Everything's mint - just how it was.
"I'm just really wanting to get on with it all."
Courtney, who in 2002 also survived a collision at 300km/h while testing a Formula One car, spent much of his Christmas and New Year break working on getting movement back into his leg and rebuild the muscle lost while off his feet.
Showing no ill-effects, the Holden Racing Team pilot was a constant feature in the top five quickest laps of the day.
"There's too much going on in the car to worry about anything else," he said.
"If I was scared to get in the car or worried about my safety, I should go do something else.
"It's what I get off on. The risk of running up against walls and the car on the edge, that's what motivates me and that's why I love doing what I do."
