Team BRIT has partnered with the British Motorsports Marshals Club (BMMC) to raise awareness and enhance the safety standards for disabled racing drivers.
The team currently competes in the Britcar Endurance Championship with a McLaren 750S GT4 and showcases the talents of disabled racing drivers.
GT4 drivers Aaron Morgan, a paraplegic, and Paul Fullick, a lower-leg amputee, were present at Team BRIT’s headquarters in West Sussex with the group of volunteer marshals.
Fullick said: “Race marshals are hugely under-appreciated – there wouldn’t be any motorsport to take part in if it wasn’t for the many, many hours they give up to make our races safe.
“… Whilst it was great to share the story of the team and our technology, what was most useful was to understand the procedures in place from their perspective when a disabled driver is competing, and to hear more about their own questions or concerns on how best to support a driver with a disability.
“British motorsport is such a well-loved, well-organised sector, that leads the way in so many elements of racing.
“A lot of work has been undertaken in recent years to make sure that it is as inclusive and as accessible as possible, but there are some simple things we can do, in partnership with race marshals to further improve on safety standards and the experiences of disabled drivers.
“There are some things that just haven’t been addressed, such as making podiums accessible – we should be able to get on the podium when we win – and making sure there’s more than one accessible toilet on a race track.
“The more critical issues are making sure that all marshals at every race meeting are briefed on any disabled drivers taking part, and how they can assist them should a safety incident occur.”
Governing body Motorsport UK requires that disabled drivers submit video evidence demonstrating their ability to extract themselves on their own strength from a car in 10 seconds.
Driver extraction especially pertains to a marshal’s duties at an incident during a race meeting.
Morgan and Fullick demonstrated their use of hand controls to the BMMC members in addition to the team’s approach with a wheelchair during driver changeovers and vehicle extraction.
Team BRIT’s drivers have agreed to attend training sessions for marshals as well as, in collaboration with the West Sussex BMMC, the upcoming creation of a safety guidance video to be shared across the UK.
Image courtesy of Team BRIT
