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In December 2013, Schumacher suffered a severe brain injury in a skiing accident. He was placed in a [[medically induced coma]] until June 2014. He left the hospital in [[Grenoble]] for further rehabilitation at the [[Lausanne University Hospital]], before being relocated to his home to receive medical treatment and rehabilitation privately in September 2014.
==Early
Michael Schumacher was born in the West German town of [[Hürth]], [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], on 3 January 1969, to working-class parents Rolf—a [[bricklayer]] who later ran the local [[kart]] track—and Elisabeth Schumacher (1948–2003), who operated the track's canteen.<ref name="Donaldson 2016">{{Cite web|last=Donaldson|first=Gerald|year=2016|title=Hall of Fame – World Champions: Michael Schumacher|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/championship/drivers/hall-of-fame/Michael_Schumacher.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006112041/https://www.formula1.com/en/championship/drivers/hall-of-fame/Michael_Schumacher.html|archive-date=6 October 2017|access-date=28 May 2018|publisher=Formula One}}</ref>
===Karting===
When Schumacher was four, his father modified his [[pedal kart]] by adding a small [[motorcycle engine]]. After he crashed it into a lamp post in [[Kerpen]], his parents took him to the karting track at Kerpen-Horrem, where he became the youngest member of the karting club. His father built him a kart from discarded parts; at the age of six, Schumacher won his first club championship. To support his racing, Schumacher's father took on a second job renting and repairing karts, while his mother worked at the track's canteen. Nevertheless, when Schumacher needed a new engine costing 800 [[Deutsche Mark|DM]], his parents were unable to afford it; he was able to continue racing with support from local businessmen.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Collings|first=Timothy|title=Team Schumacher|publisher=Highdown|year=2005|isbn=978-1-905156-03-0|pages=35–37|url=https://archive.org/details/teamschumacherma0000coll/page/34/mode/2up|url-access=registration}}</ref>
Regulations in Germany require a driver to be at least 14 years old to obtain a kart license. To get around this, Schumacher obtained a license in [[Luxembourg]] at the age of 12.<ref name="The Beginning 2006">{{Cite web|year=2006|title=The Beginning|url=http://www.mschumacher.com/history.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416160810/http://www.mschumacher.com/history.html|archive-date=16 April 2007|access-date=23 April 2007|website=MSchumacher.com}}</ref> In 1983, he obtained his German license, a year after he won the German Junior Kart Championship. Schumacher joined Eurokart dealer Adolf Neubert in 1985, and by 1987 was the German and European kart champion, then he quit school and began working as a mechanic.
===Lower formulae and sportscar racing=== In 1988, he made his first step into [[single-seat car racing]] by participating in the German [[Formula Ford]] and [[Formula König]] series, winning the latter.<ref name="Domenjoz 2002">{{Cite book|last=Domenjoz|first=Luc|title=Michael Schumacher: Rise of a genius|publisher=Parragon|year=2002|isbn=978-0-7525-9228-2|pages=10–12, 170–171}}</ref> In 1989, Schumacher signed with [[Willi Weber]]'s WTS [[Formula Three]] team. Funded by Weber, he competed in the [[German Formula Three Championship]], winning the [[1990 German Formula Three Championship]].<ref name="The Beginning 2006"/> He also won the [[1990 Macau Grand Prix]] under controversial circumstances. He placed second behind [[Mika Häkkinen]] in the first heat, three seconds behind. At the start of the second heat, he overtook Häkkinen, who only had to finish within three seconds of Schumacher to clinch the overall win. In the closing laps, Schumacher made a mistake, allowing Häkkinen to attempt to overtake. Schumacher changed his line immediately before Häkkinen did the same as the latter moved to overtake, and Häkkinen crashed into the back of Schumacher's car.<ref>{{Cite AV media|date=12 November 2019|title=Schumacher vs Hakkinen {{!}} 1990 Macau Formula 3 Race|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCv7Lej1VLo&ab_channel=DukeVideo|access-date=30 August 2021|via=YouTube|archive-date=12 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512084743/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCv7Lej1VLo&ab_channel=DukeVideo}}</ref> While Häkkinen's race was ended, Schumacher drove to victory without a rear wing.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Kopu|first1=Ville|last2=Nottmeier|first2=Jan|date=24 October 2006|title=Schumacher 500: Has the King Lost His Crown?|url=http://atlasf1.autosport.com/98/ger/schum.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007021024/http://atlasf1.autosport.com/98/ger/schum.html|archive-date=7 October 2015|access-date=27 February 2020|website=Autosport}}</ref> Schumacher gave the [[prize money]] from winning the race to his family as they had debts.<ref name="Goren 2001">{{Cite web|last=Goren|first=Biranit|date=17 October 2001|title=The View from the Top: Exclusive Interview with Michael Schumacher|url=http://www.atlasf1.com/2001/jpn/goren.html|access-date=17 July 2023|website=Atlas F1|archive-date=17 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717111419/http://www.atlasf1.com/2001/jpn/goren.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:Reynard F 903-001 1990 Michael Schuhmacher Formula 3 EMS.jpg|thumb|left|Schumacher's title-winning German [[Formula Three]] car from 1990]]
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