An Ipswich filmmaker has captured a team of resilient drivers making motorsport history as they prepare to put pedal to the metal on the international stage.
Adam Collier, of Beauty and the Bear, has made a film promoting Team BRIT – an all-disabled motorsport team determined to compete equally with able-bodied riders at the famous Le Mans 24-hour race in June 2018.
Mr Collier filmed the squad at a recent test event at Brands Hatch, where they were also joined by their patron, former Formula One world champion Damon Hill.
The team includes two men from Essex - Braintree veteran Warren McKinlay, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle crash in 2005, and Ash Hall, who had both legs amputated following a bomb explosion in 2010 in Afghanistan.
Team BRIT, which helps injured armed forces personnel rehabilitate through motorsport, runs unique technology in the car which enables its drivers to compete competitively, despite the range of injuries they have.
At the special press day at the Kent circuit, Damon Hill tested the squad’s new Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4, experiencing first hand the modified controls used.
Mr Collier said: “For a filmmaker, it’s just such an evocative story – competing in what is already an extremely competitive sport, on equal terms with able bodied drivers, the lads from Team BRIT have faced down adversity and are just going for it.
“If I was a driver on one of the other teams, I’d be pretty worried about competing against a team that collectively have been shot multiple times, blown up with IEDs, set on fire by rocket propelled grenades, and then shot again. If that’s not enough to dampen their spirits, then there’s no stopping them.
“I walked away from our day at Brands Hatch feeling totally inspired by the lads’ stories, camaraderie, and sheer determination. I think we managed to capture the essence of what Team BRIT is about with our short promo (despite the horrible weather), and I hope it inspires people to follow the team all the way to Le Mans in 2020.”
Mr Hill added: “Team BRIT have created the perfect rehabilitation challenge for injured servicemen and women.
“If you are out of action for the services, there are plenty of challenges ahead in motorsport, which is the perfect medicine for putting history to bed.”
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