Team BRIT is a British

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

team formed in 2015 and based at

Dunsfold Aerodrome Dunsfold Aerodrome (former ICAO code EGTD) is an unlicensed airfield in Surrey, England, near the village of Cranleigh. It extends across land in the villages of Dunsfold and Alfold. It was built by the Canadian Army and civilian contracto ...

in Surrey, home of the Top Gear test track. The team is composed of disabled drivers and competes in three British motor racing series, the

British GT Championship The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports GT ...

Britcar Britcar is an endurance sports car racing and touring car racing series in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1997, as a result of a discussion in a Nürburgring bar between Willie Moore and James Tucker. Folklore has it that James Tucker and J ...

Endurance and Britcar Trophy, with the ultimate aim to race in

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...

The key element which allows physically disabled drivers to compete is the specially developed hand control system fitted to all the cars.

History

Team BRIT was formed as an offshoot of the charity Kartforce, which provides military veterans with the opportunity to take part in karting events to support their physical and mental rehabilitation and recovery. Team BRIT gives people with disabilities the chance to compete with able bodied drivers in national motor racing events. 1996

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

world champion

Damon Hill Damon Graham Devereux Hill, (born 17 September 1960) is a British former professional racing driver from England and the 1996 Formula One World Champion. He is the son of Graham Hill, and, along with Nico Rosberg, one of two sons of a Formu ...

is a patron of the team. From its inception in 2015 with a single small racing car and three former military disabled drivers, the team has grown in size and scope. By 2022 it consisted of five cars and eight drivers with diverse backgrounds and disabilities, competing in three racing competitions.

History of Cars Available

2015, 2016 -

VW Golf GTI The Volkswagen Golf () is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates ...

2017 - 2 x

Fun Cup The Fun Cup is a one-make racing series created by Franz Dubois in 1997 in Belgium. The cars are identical, 180 bhp, 799 kg (1700 lb) Volkswagen Beetle replicas with all major components sealed to ensure the cars are technically i ...

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...

2018 - 3 x

Vw polo gti The Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car (B-segment) produced by the German car manufacturer Volkswagen since 1975. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, saloon, and estate variants throughout its production run. History ...

Aston Martin Vantage GT4 The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 is an updated version of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24, debuting in late 2008. Its primary alteration is the introduction of the new 4.7-litre V8 that also debuted in the production V8 Vantage. This replaces the 4 ...

2019, 2020 - 3 x

BMW 116i The BMW 1 Series is a range of subcompact executive cars (C-segment) manufactured by BMW since 2004. It is the successor to the BMW 3 Series Compact and is currently in its third generation. Positioned as the entry level model in BMW range of pr ...

2021 -

BMW 1 Series The BMW 1 Series is a range of subcompact executive cars (C-segment) manufactured by BMW since 2004. It is the successor to the BMW 3 Series Compact and is currently in its third generation. Positioned as the entry level model in BMW range of pr ...

, BMW M240i Racing At the end of 2021 the Vantage GT4 chassis became ineligible for competition in British GT, which follows

SRO Motorsports Group SRO Motorsports Group (formerly the Stéphane Ratel Organisation) is an international sporting organisation best known for promoting and running a variety of racing events and series, including the Total 24 Hours of Spa, Intercontinental GT Challe ...

international homologation rules. The team continued to campaign it in the Britcar Endurance Championship where it remained eligible in the equivalent "Class D" under

series rules. 2022 -

, BMW M240i Racing, McLaren 570S GT4 2023 - 2 x McLaren 570S GT4, BMW M240i Racing, 2023 also saw the addition of a Citroen C1 endurance race car, adapted and entered to the Silverlake C1 Endurance Series which includes a 24h round at the Silverstone circuit. - the addition of a second

McLaren 570S The McLaren 570S is a sports car designed and manufactured by British car manufacturer McLaren Automotive. It was unveiled at the 2015 New York International Auto Show. Design and specifications The car is powered by a new iteration of the 3 ...

replacing the Aston Martin in the Britcar Endurance Championship. - The other

will continue in British GT and McLaren Trophy The BMW M240i Racing will continue in the Britcar Trophy Championship.

Hand Control Technology

Team BRIT worked with MME Motorsport, a Slovenian gearbox control specialist, to develop electronic hand control systems for throttle, clutch, gear change, and brakes which work in a seamlessly integrated way with conventional controls. The adaptation allows a driver using hand controls to share a car with a driver using conventional controls in race meetings; the car will respond to both sets of controls, giving priority to whichever input is highest if there is a conflict. The growing development and realism of

Sim racing Simulated racing or racing simulation, commonly known as simply sim racing, are the collective terms for racing game software that attempts to accurately simulate auto racing, complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire ...

systems allows a disabled driver to use the same steering wheel on the simulator as the racing car which aids a more seamless transition from sim racer to track racer.

Championship Results

2022

Team BRIT drivers James Whitley and Chris Overend made history in 2022 becoming the first disabled team to win a British national motor racing championship, claiming the Britcar Trophy Championship in an adapted BMW M240i Racing. In Britcar Endurance the team ran the

in class D with six classes in each race. * Position in teams - 7th * Position in class - 4th In British GT Championship the team ran the

in class GT4 ProAM with four classes in each race. While the MacLaren was entered for a couple of races in Britcar Endurance, it wasn't registered for the championship but took part as an invitational entry. * Position in GT4 Teams - 9th * Position in GT4 Drivers - 11th * Position in GT4 ProAM class - 2nd In Britcar Trophy the team ran the BMW M240i Racing in class 2 and the

BMW 118i The BMW 1 Series is a range of subcompact executive cars (C-segment) manufactured by BMW since 2004. It is the successor to the BMW 3 Series Compact and is currently in its third generation. Positioned as the entry level model in BMW range of pr ...

in class 3 with five classes in each race * Position in teams - 1st and 26th * Position in class - 1st and 6th

Race Results 2023

Following a crash at Silverstone 500 on May 7th when the car suffered extensive damage, the team decided to withdraw from the majority of the remaining rounds of the British GT championship and instead drivers Morgan and Trundley will race the remaining Maclaren 570S in the MacLaren Trophy Championship

Gallery

Racing steering wheel with hand controls.jpg, Racing steering wheel with hand controls for all functions McLaren_570S_GT4_racing.jpg, McLaren 570S GT4 Aston_martin_vantage_gt4.jpg, Aston Martin Vantage GT4 BMW_M240i_racing_edition.jpg, BMW M240i BMW_118i_racing_car.jpg, BMW 118i Britcar Trophy Championship winners 2022.jpg, Believed to be the first disabled driver team to win a British national racing championship

References

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External Links

* https://teambrit.co.uk/ * https://www.britinsurance.com/culture/team-brit * https://news.sky.com/story/meet-team-brit-the-uks-only-disabled-motorsport-outfit-12722150 * https://www.dailysportscar.com/2021/10/27/team-brit-for-british-gt-in-2022.html * https://www.activityalliance.org.uk/news/4673-team-brit-opens-the-door-to-motorsport-for-disabled-drivers * https://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/21158361.team-brit-supports-spinal-patients-salisbury-hospital/ * https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/10505961/team-brit-how-motorsport-is-inspiring-injured-troops * https://www.accessandmobilityprofessional.com/teen-racer-amputee-back-hot-seat-tuc-team-brits-help/ * https://www.ukhaulier.co.uk/news/road-transport/innovation/transport-industry-comes-together-to-support-team-brit-racing/ * https://disabilityhorizons.com/2019/03/team-brit-and-nicolas-hamilton-launch-the-uks-first-racing-academy-for-disabled-drivers/ * https://headtopics.com/uk/meet-team-brit-the-uk-s-only-disabled-motorsport-outfit-30786734 * https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/10/autistic-racing-driver-shares-how-motorsport-changed-his-life-17160155/ * https://www.texacolubricants.com/en_uk/home/brand-ambassadors/team-brit.html * https://www.britishgt.com/team/221/team-brit * https://www.adrianflux.co.uk/motorsport/team-brit-overcame-disabilities-professional-drivers/ * https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/news/sussex-news/eastbourne-paralympian-24-wins-first-7125804 * https://uk.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=footer1/release/220420_rs-motorsport-apr-22 * https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-57930083 * https://www.daytona.co.uk/team-brit-at-british-gt-championship/ * https://shdcomposites.com/news/shd-backs-team-brit * https://www.iambenpritchard.com/team-brit-track-day/ * https://kenwoodcommunications.co.uk/comm/case-studies/digital/team-brit/ * https://boldcolours.co.uk/team-brit-sponsors * https://realbusiness.co.uk/team-brit-diversifying-motorsports * https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/20012044.solent-university-students-work-team-brit/ * https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/eastbourne-paralympian-extends-racing-championship-lead-with-team-brit/ * https://www.rhinoproducts.co.uk/team-brit/ * https://www.solwaydaf.co.uk/news/news-archive/daf-dealer-network-backs-team-brit-disabled-racing-team/ * https://www.lampfilms.co.uk/team-brit * https://loopagency.co.uk/2020/12/03/synetiq-supplies-a-winner-to-team-brit/ * https://allthingsbusiness.co.uk/2022/05/04/rs-champions-access-to-motorsport-with-sponsorship-of-all-disabled-team-brit/ Auto racing teams in the United Kingdom British GT Championship teams