Welcome Team Brit to GT racing and Team AMR
Friday, February 02, 2018
Team BRIT – motorsport’s most inspirational team - has today announced its move to GT racing with the reveal of its Aston Martin Vantage GT4.
The team aims to be the first ever all-disabled team to race
in the Le Mans 24 hour and is revolutionising the motor industry with the use
of adaptive technology to allow disabled drivers to compete on equal terms.
Revealing the team's freshly liveried, adapted 2016-spec Aston
Martin V8 Vantage GT4 the team has also announced plans for an assault on a selection
of Blue Ribbon races in 2018, likely to be the Aston Martin Owners Club GT4
Challenge, British GT, Creventic 24hr Series and others.
The team’s drivers live with a range of disabilities. Many are injured troops, some are amputees,
and in September 2017 the team opened its doors to civilian drivers to widen
opportunities and to promote its ‘Believe and Achieve’ ethos.
Drivers use the world’s most advanced hand control
technology, designed and developed by the team’s founder along with experts,
MME Motorsport. The controls mean that
the drivers with a range of requirements, such as military veteran Ash Hall who
is a double leg amputee, and civilian driver James Russell who has a congenital
leg defect, can compete in the same team, switching between adapted and
conventional controls.
Ash Hall - Former Royal Engineer from Colchester who lost both his legs after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan
In 2017 the team competed in the UK Fun Cup and will continue
to compete in the single-make championship with rookies this year. More experienced drivers will move up to GT
racing, using the same controls which have also been installed in the team’s
Aston Martin.
An academy model will be created, welcoming new rookies into
the team at Fun Cup level and supporting them as they progress up the
motorsport ladder towards Le Mans.
James Russell - civilian driver from Nailsea who wears a prosthetic leg as a result of a congenital leg defect.
Team Founder Dave Player said, “I am delighted to be able to
share the news of our Aston Martin with the world. This cements our position as serious
competitors in motorsport and shows what can be achieved by disabled drivers.
“Our ethos is ‘Believe and Achieve’. We want to show disabled people all over the
world that anything is possible. We are
normalising disability and proving that we can compete on a totally level
playing field with able-bodied drivers.
Jamie Falvey - Former marine from Nottinghamshire with hearing difficulties following his time in service
“Our entry to GT4 racing will be a huge achievement for us,
and with the support of our sponsors, we will continue to progress towards Le
Mans, inspiring others and changing the face of motorsport.”
The team plans to race the Aston Martin not only in the UK
but also throughout Europe and across the globe.
Jimmy Hill - Serving marine from Bournemouth who sustained gunshot wounds in Afghanistan, resulting in a paralysed leg.
The team’s two Fun Cup cars begin racing when the
championship kicks off on April 7th at Oulton Park.
Martyn Compton - Former Household Cavalryman from East Sussex that survived an ambush in Afghanistan where he sustained 75% burns and was shot twice whilst on fire
Warren McKinley – former Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineer from Essex who sustained a traumatic brain injury following a motorbike crash.
For more information on the team visit www.TeamBRIT.co.uk.
Team BRIT is a branch of the charity KartForce, a charity set up to inspire people with disabilities, PTSD and mental health issues by demonstrating what can be achieved through motorsport. It aims to show injured military personnel & disabled people that they can achieve what they never thought possible, that they can compete at the highest level, and to equip them with a wide range of personal and professional skills through understanding the business of motorsport.
Team BRIT is a branch of the charity KartForce, a charity set up to inspire people with disabilities, PTSD and mental health issues by demonstrating what can be achieved through motorsport. It aims to show injured military personnel & disabled people that they can achieve what they never thought possible, that they can compete at the highest level, and to equip them with a wide range of personal and professional skills through understanding the business of motorsport.
Source material - Team Brit
Photo credits - David
Archer, Kingsize Photography
