Team BRIT e-Zine: Issue 11, Summer 2023

ONE FOR THE TEAM HISTORY BOOK

THE WORD FROM

It’s hard to believe we’re almost at the end of our summer –it feels like only yesterday that we were in Portugal preparing for the season ahead.

The year has been incredible so far – highs, lows, surprises and challenges in true Team BRIT style.

Our move from the British GT Championship into the McLaren Trophy Series Europe has been extremely positive. Competing in a single make class has meant that Bobby and Aaron can focus on honing their skills as drivers without trying to battle against teams racing brand new machinery. It has also taken our team to international circuits we’ve never raced on, and brought our mission to a whole new audience of racing fans who have welcomed us with open arms. Our drivers and crew have performed brilliantly, learning more with every round. We’ve had some serious bad luck with weather and technical problems, but have also secured podium finishes –each one another reason to be proud.

Elsewhere, our rookies continue to develop in the C1 series –you’ll read more about Matt Parkes and his team who are running the car for us in the championship this year –I’m incredibly grateful to him for flying the Team BRIT flag in this new series for us.

In the Britcar Trophy and British Endurance Championship we continue to fight hard, and I hope that we’ll see Chris and James vying for podiums together once again, whilst Paul and Tyrone snap at their heels in their efforts to progress up our racing ladder.

Outside of racing, we’ve written an important page in the Team BRIT history book with our entry in the Goodwood Hill Climb –a surreal and proud moment for us all. We continue to develop major new projects to deliver accessible simulators for online racing and to create new and innovative ways to support deaf drivers into motorsport –all of which you’ll read about in this edition.

The racing season will be over before we know it and I’m incredibly grateful to every sponsor and supporter that has continued to back us this year. As you’ll expect, 2024 plans are already well underway and we can’t wait to have you with us again for another exciting year of smashing expectations and driving towards our dreams.

TEAM BRIT AT GOODWOOD

DAVE PLAYER

THE MAN BEHIND THE ROOKIES

2023 saw Team BRIT’s first ever entry in Citroen C1 Series. Running the team is Matt Parkes – a racing expert with years of experience in the industry.

Page 8

TEAM BRIT TAKES ON EUROPE

In a change to this year’s planned calendar of racing, in Spring 2023, we announced our entry into the 2023 McLaren Trophy Championship.

Page 14

NOAH’S SECRET TALENT

Team BRIT driver Noah is an incredibly talented artist, who’s work has attracted acclaim from industry elites.

Page 18

PLUS:

RACE FOR UKRAINE

OUT AND ABOUT WITH SPONSORS

It’s been a busy few months again as we’ve been out on the road with our sponsors.

Page 23

CREATING ACCESSIBLE RACING SOLUTIONS

A BIG WELCOME TO OUR NEW PARTNERS

PROJETC SEB: SOLUTIONS FOR DEAF DRIVERS

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH STEPH HOLMES

Page 7

Page 10

Page 12

Page 17

Page 27

Team BRIT Founder

Pages 4 & 5

ONE FOR THE TEAM HISTORY BOOK

In July, we set yet another team milestone with an entry into the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We had a place in the iconic hillclimb event, represented by our GT4 driver Aaron Morgan.

From Thursday 13 to Sunday 16 July, we displayed our McLaren 570S in the Brooklands Paddock to the thousands and thousands of motorsport fans that poured onto the site over the three days. Sadly, the event was cancelled on the Saturday for the first time in its history due to excessively high winds.

We were positioned alongside historic and performance cars from across the ages, including historic F1 cars such as a Michael Schumacher Benneton and Leyton House designed by Adrian Newey.

Each day, Aaron completed in timed and demo runs up the famous 1.16 mile hillclimb, before finally recording his time in the Sunday Shootout – a respectable 58 seconds – the third fastest time recorded in our class.

The festival marked its 30th anniversary this year and saw entries to the hillclimb from major manufacturers including McLaren, as well as the latest generation of Rally1 Hybrid class cars represented by the Ford Puma and Hyundai i20N, while Toyota’s GR Yaris H2 added hydrogen power to the mix.

Last year’s history makers McMurty also returned with their innovative Speirling, a year after setting the fastest ever hillclimb run.

Photo by Jakob Ebrey

BUILDING AN IMPRESSIVE RACING CV

Aaron follows high profile disabled racers Billy Monger, Nic Hamilton and Sam Schmidt in taking on the hillclimb, adding yet another impressive achievement to his racing CV.  When he was recovering from his accident in hospital, where he turned 16, Aaron was so eager to regain his independence that he would go for his driving lessons from the hospital ward.  He went on to become the youngest ever disabled person to achieve a national ‘B’ racing licence, and joined Team BRIT in 2021, when he competed in the Britcar Endurance Championship.  In 2022, he was part of the first ever all-disabled team to compete in the British GT Championship. This year he is competing in the McLaren Trophy Series, Europe.

Aaron said: “Competing in the hillclimb really was a privilege and an honour.  I’ve loved motorsport all my life, so have been in awe of the Goodwood event and its competitors for as long as I can remember.  Being able to drive up the hill and to represent Team BRIT was a really special moment for me.

“It was fantastic meeting so many people over the three days that the festival ran, and it was great to share our story and encourage people to learn more about the amazing possibilities for disabled drivers wanting to get into racing.

“A huge thank you to our sponsors for their continued support in enabling us to participate in incredible events such as these.  We hope to be back up that hill in the near future!”

A FITTING MOMENTO

Team sponsor Christopher Ward commissioned a special edition watch to commemorate our entry into the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The C60 Trident Pro features the team branding on the face with bespoke engraving on the back. Contact Christopher Ward for any bespoke requirements.

CELEBRATING WITH THE ELITE CAPTURING A MILESTONE MOMENT

We were joined by filmmaker Chris Lynch of Diverse Media throughout the event. Chris and his team have captured Aaron’s journey leading to the event and throughout. He will be sharing his fantastic content soon.

Commercial Director Mike Scudamore and Aaron had the pleasure of attending the black tie dinner hosted by the Duke of Richmond. Motorsport celebrities, teams and partners attended for a fantastic evening of food, drink and networking. They also enjoyed the incredible entertainment including a huge firework and pyrotechnics display and surprise performance from ZZ Top!

Team BRIT & Brit Insurance

In late 2016, we saw one of Team BRIT’s drivers interviewed on TV. Their ambition, passion –and of course the Brit name – resonated strongly with us. A few months later, we launched a supportive partnership with Team BRIT; so our employees had the chance to get to know the team and get involved.

The business behind the logo

Brit is a global specialty insurance company. We are a leading syndicate of Lloyd’s of London, the world’s oldest specialist insurance market. Combining technical expertise with industry knowledge, we create best in-class insurance solutions that help people and businesses face the future and thrive.

Redefining what’s possible

Like Team BRIT, our collaborative culture embraces diversity. It empowers and enables talented individuals, whatever their background, to bring their authentic selves to work, and deliver outstanding results. We’re committed to growing the skills of every single employee; helping them fulfil their potential in a supportive, respectful and inclusive work environment.

Driven to succeed

Both our organisations share the passion and pride that go with working as a team towards a common goal. We look forward to being part of Team BRIT’s continued success.

To find out more about us visit: britinsurance.com and Linkedin

RACE FOR UKRAINE

On Thursday 8th June, Team BRIT drivers and staff joined a kart race with a difference in efforts to raise funds for those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine.

Daytona Milton Keynes hosted the ‘Race for Ukraine’ in aid of the charity ‘Siobhan’s Trust,’ which provides food and practical support to the huge number of internally displaced Ukrainians, traumatised by the Russian invasion.

Drivers Bobby Trundley, Paul Fullick and Noah Cosby represented the Team, with Commercial Director Mike Scudamore also competing with his own ‘Apex Sports Marketing’ entry.

33 teams took part in the endurance race using Daytona’s new fleet of Sodi karts. Noah and Paul were able to use the in-house kart fitted with hand controls. All at Daytona are long-term friends and supporters of the team with CEO Charles Graham also being a personal sponsor to Bobby.

Other drivers included long-term Daytona customers and supporters, plus F2 and touring car drivers putting in some serious competition alongside our team.

The track was decorated in Ukrainian-themed colours, with flags on display and kerbs painted in blue and yellow in honour of the cause.

It was a beautifully sunny day throughout, with close racing between competitive teams. Team BRIT qualified in 9th place, with Mike and Apex in 15th. At the end of the event it was Mike who came out on top, finishing in an impressive 7th place, with Team BRIT not far behind in 9th.

Much needed funds were raised throughout the event, also helped with an auction, with prizes included hospitality for two at a forthcoming Team BRIT race.

Driver Noah Cosby said: “This was my first team karting event and I absolutely loved it. Some of the other drivers have been karting for years, as this was their entry into motorsport. For me, it’s quite new as I started my racing days on 2-wheels.

“It was fantastic to come together with Bobby and Paul for the race and even better to do so in support of the Siobhan’s Trust, which is raising crucial funds for people impacted in Ukraine. This is also close to our heart through the work of Paul who has been organising and delivering aid to Ukraine since the start of the conflict.

“Congratulations to all at Siobhan’s Trust and Daytona Motorsport for bringing together such a fantastic event.”

THE MAN ROOKIES BEHIND THE

2023 saw Team BRIT’s first ever entry in the Silverlake Citroen C1 Series – an entry level championship giving drivers new to the sport a chance to learn their craft.

Running the team is Matt Parkes of Parkes Motorsport – a racing expert with years of experience in the industry. But how did he get to where he is now, and what are his hopes for the Team BRIT rookies?

A motorsport fan for as long as he can remember, Matt was karting from the age of 12. When he left school and the finances of racing became challenging, he took some time out, but after three years away he says “it got to the point where I needed it back again.”

Matt returned to the track, racing in tin tops and steadily began to build a reputation amongst the paddock as someone who could help. He was respected right across the industry and was soon being asked to help people out and assist with racing campaigns.

Matt explains “I was getting requests to provide consultancy help with everything from driver tuition to advice around car set up. At the time I was working as a gas engineer, really as a means to pay for my racing, but before long, I was building a business in the industry I loved.

his wife was due to give birth. She went into hospital during the last race before qualification, but she insisted he continue with what he was there to do. He explains, “you can tell how determined I was to get the race done – we put the car on the front row by quite some margin! Thankfully I also brought some trophies home!”

Despite knowing the personal feeling of racing success, it was the feeling of accomplishment when supporting another driver to their personal goals that pushed Matt to continue with his business.

“Now, the sole purpose of Parkes Motorsport is to go racing and to help others go racing.”

Matt was racing himself up until 2019, when he ran a committed campaign in the BMW Compact Cup. The last race at Donington Park happened to fall when

“I ran a car for someone who was starting at the bottom in terms of their performance. Within 6 months we had entered a race and they got to the front. I’d never felt so rewarded - it was the closest thing to the feeling of winning a race myself. I thrive off of that, racing through other people and helping them get to that level. I love seeing people succeed.”

Matt (top centre) with the 2023 Team BRIT rookies

Matt came to know of Team BRIT through GT4 driver Aaron Morgan, who he has known since Aaron’s early days racing in the BMW Compact Cup. Matt explains, “Just watching Aaron’s career path was incredible. I remember chatting to him at Donington Park. He was asking my advice on a particular line on a corner and was explaining what he was doing. He told me he had no hands on the wheel as he was going into the corner, because of the controls he was using. I said – how the hell are you doing that?

“I followed his progress with his entry into Team BRIT, so was aware of everything the team was about. The owner of the C1 series got in touch with me to explain that Team BRIT was interested in running a team in the championship and that’s how I got involved. It’s amazing to now be working with the hand control tech that Aaron so clearly would have benefitted from when having that early conversation all those years ago.”

Matt took the reigns of the C1 team in early 2023. Team BRIT Engineering Director Al Locke and his team prepped the C1 to make it race ready, also fitting the car with our hand controls before handing everything over to Matt, who now runs the car from his base in Bristol and leads the team’s efforts across the C1 Championship.

Matt says, “When I first drove the car to shake it down, I was mesmerised by the sheer ability. The hand controls are a game changer, but you have to drive with them to understand. It’s a phenomenal achievement to create such a piece of engineering.”

Matt has taken the three Team BRIT rookies under his wing, providing tuition from race to race and helping them hone their race craft. When asked his views on how they’re doing, he says “the simple answer is they’re incredible people. Every single one of them.”

“Each of them has such different stories and they have all had to overcome different issues.

“What they have all achieved within 3-4 months is simply incredible. Not many people get to go from not having a race licence to racing and completing in a 24 hour race at Silverstone in just 3 months. They’ve done exceptionally well.”

When asked what he is hoping they will learn from the tuition, he says it’s about staying ‘squeaky clean’. He explains, “before the Silverstone 24 hour, we hadn’t incurred a single team penalty. I thrive myself on being squeaky clean. With endurance racing, one penalty can cost you two laps. We know our rookies are in their early days so they might not be there with their pace yet, so we need to do it another way. Stay clean and your pace will come in time. This needs to stay deeprooted throughout their racing careers.

“It’s amazing how fast they’ve picked up speed from their first pre-season shake down and I have high hopes for them all going forward. They have their sights set on one thing – to race something fast and big!

“What’s great is that they’re asking me the right questions. The big problem with rookies is teaching them how the car is meant to feel, what it’s doing, and what the likely problems are. Those things come with experience. For them to be asking the right questions now, means they’re 100% engaged and they’re already beginning to think like racing drivers.”

When asked his thoughts on being involved with Team BRIT he says, “I just like being part of something quite special. It’s different to the norm – we get to meet all these wonderful people with incredible life stories. I love being involved in making it possible for them.

CREATING ACCESSIBLE RACING SOLUTIONS FROM STEP 1

Everything we do is based around accessibility and inclusivity. Competitive racing is a huge part of our operation, but we’re looking at every part of the motorsport sector to look at how we can make it as accessible as possible for people with disabilities.

For many, that starts with learning their racing craft off the track through the use of simulators, either as part of driver training or for online racing.

The team is lucky to have had the support of Vesaro for many years – the sector leader in high specification racing simulators. We’ve now worked with Vesaro and others to create a unique simulator, specially designed to be accessible for people with a wide range of disabilities.

THE SIMULATOR

• Vesaro Systems - comes in 3 pieces

• Main frame will house wheelbase, PC and pedals

• Second frame will hold a removable seat

• Third frame is base for screen mountingtherefore share Team BRIT’s drive to innovate and overcome, and we’re really excited to be able to provide the drivers with our unique app.

HAND CONTROLS

• Team BRIT racing hand controls

• Push pull controls

• Push brake lever for Drifting

• Pedals with option of switching left pedal as throttle

EXTRA FEATURES

• Emergency stop button installed, accessible to driver and supervisor

• Height and reach adjustable wheelbase platform

• Reclining seat with low base for easy transferring

• Removable seat for wheelchair access

• Seat on slider for movement forwards and backwards

• Power cable with anti-trip cable mat & multi-socket surge protector

Team BRIT Founder Dave Player explains, “This is a really important project which is fundamental in making the sport more accessible to disabled drivers. We’ve led the way in developing technology to level the playing field, and have created various routes to racing for people wanting to get started, or compete at a high level, but we need to look far wider than that.

“To offer comprehensive training opportunities to those new to the sport, or for those looking to add additional training to their racing programme, an accessible simulator is key. For years we have used our hand controls on our incredible Vesaro simulator, but many of our drivers still struggle to get in and out of the seat, or find it difficult to use comfortably because of their disability. Our solution responds to these issues. What’s more, bespoke adaptability is central to the offering. Not only do we offer a removable seat option so that wheelchair users can wheel into the rig, we have a sliding seat, new safety release mechanisms and a range of hand control options.

“I hope this latest project and offering will be yet another door opener to people who thought racing was still out of bounds for them.”

The accessible sim includes a range of hand control options, such as our own controls which use thumb gear shifters with paddles for the brake and throttle, or more traditional push, pull controls supplied by Hands on Performance.

The accessible simulator is now available for anyone looking to purchase an inclusive sim option for their own home or for their business. The sim has also been provided to Motorsport UK to help them offer even more inclusive options for their members and wider motorsport community.

For more information email info@teambrit.co.uk

A BIG WELCOME TO OUR NEW PARTNERS

We’ve welcomed two new key sponsors to the team –AB3 Medical and Venesis.

AB3 MEDICAL

AB3 Medical has developed a unique health passport app that empowers athletes with 24/7 access to their medical record across their career in to retirement. This allows, with the athlete’s consent, any medic across clubs, countries and healthcare sectors to provide more effective and timely treatment by being fully informed.

The app puts all injuries, illness and screenings in one place with easy access to all letters, results, treatments and medications. AB3 allows any medic worldwide the ability to input data on the app, which is instantaneously visible to the regular medical staff on their dashboard.

Each Team BRIT driver will be provided with the app, ensuring that should any medical assistance be required at events or races, medical professionals will have simple access to each person’s history.

Founder of AB3 Medical Ronnie Banerjee said: “I’m delighted to be able to support Team BRIT in this way. Our app and technology is based on innovation, providing technical solutions to a challenge faced by countless sportspeople. We therefore share Team BRIT’s drive to innovate and overcome, and we’re really excited to be able to provide the drivers with our unique app.

VENESIS

Team BRIT C1 driver Asha Silva has signed a deal with Venesis - a major new personal sponsor, securing her racing budget for the rest of the year.

Venesis works primarily in the financial and insurance industries and supports businesses by driving process excellence, in areas such as strategic innovation and business transformation.

Founder of Venesis Adrian Giles, is a long-term friend and supporter of the team, introduced via the Lloyd’s of London Motor Club.

Adrian Giles said: “It’s a pleasure to be able to support Asha for the remainder of her inaugural race season. It’s clear that she is a natural talent, consistently improving on her lap times and even recording the fastest lap of the whole team in the closing hours of a gruelling 24 hour race.

“She is quite inspirational, to women looking to enter the sport, and who are still so significantly underrepresented, and for people with neurodiverse conditions such as hers. I’m extremely proud to be part of her story.”

Paul Fullick with Ronnie Banerjee

TEAM BRIT TAKES ON EUROPE

SEASON SO FAR

Rounds 1 & 2, 3-4 June

Paul Ricard, France

Rounds 3 & 4, 30 June - 1 July

Spar Francorchamps – Belgium

Rounds 5 & 6, 29-30 July Nürburgring, Germany

Round 1 P2 in class

Round 2 P2 in class

Round 3 P2 in class

Round 4 Cancelled*

Our thoughts with all who knew and loved Dilano Van’t Hoff who died in a race held ahead of the planned trophy round.

Round 5 P1 in class

Round 5 DNF*

*Due to technical issue

In a change to this year’s planned calendar of racing, in Spring 2023, we announced our entry into the 2023 McLaren Trophy Championship.

McLaren’s all-new single-make championship began in June and now sees our team competing on a global stage in races held in Europe.

GT4 Drivers Bobby Trundley and Aaron Morgan are representing the team, moving over from the British GT Championship. The McLaren Trophy series offers distinct categories for teams driving the 570S, separate from those in the newer Artura.

Bobby and Aaron have been performing brilliantly so far, securing podiums at every track, including their first class win of the year.

BOBBY & AARON HAVE BEEN PERFORMING BRILLIANTLY SO FAR, SECURING PODIUMS AT EVERY TRACK.”

Photo by Dan Bathie

PROJECT SEB SOLUTIONS FOR

DEAF RACING DRIVERS O

ur latest project involves the development of innovative solutions to support Deaf drivers into racing.

Project SEB – ‘Strive, Empower, Belong’ was named after the son of Project Manager Clare Pagano who worked with the team earlier this year, to kick off this groundbreaking initiative.  Clare’s son lives with CHARGE Syndrome and is deaf as a result of the condition.

We’re now working with UK’s only two Deaf driver Caleb McDuff and Sarah Thompson to understand the limitations in place within the motorsport industry for the Deaf racing community and to create bespoke solutions.

WHY?

Being a Deaf racing driver comes with challenges that are completely unique.

• Many people who are Deaf wear cochlear implants which turn sounds into electrical signals and send them to the cochlear in the inner ear.  From there, the signals travel to the brain and are heard as sound.

• Standard racing helmets don’t have the room or design for cochlear implants to be worn.  As a result, Caleb chooses to race in silence without his implants.

• Communication between a race crew and a racing driver is essential in every race. A solution is needed which can be integrated into the car without distracting the driver and without requiring extensive hand movements.

• A Deaf driver receives less than half the sensory experience a hearing driver receives when racing, we’re looking at what systems could work to replicate these experiences currently being lost.

We’re now working with partners including motorsport communications experts MRTC, BAE Systems and Real Equipe to develop solutions.  These include exploring a ‘heads up display’ situated on the helmet visor and a driver response tool on the steering wheel that flips through a list of pre-set messages.

Team Founder Dave Player explains: “Currently, Deaf racing drivers face a massive disadvantage in motor racing due to the challenges they face when communicating with the pit crew and with regards to the sensory experiences of the environment in and around the car.  Deaf people may also choose to wear cochlear implants which enable sound to be heard to some degree, but these cannot fit under standard race helmets.  Caleb for example, races in silence because of this.

“Although there are a number of technical solutions to parts of the overall challenge, nothing is truly enabling equal access to motorsport for Deaf people. There is a compromise with every current option.

“We’re now reaching out to key partners such as UK Deaf Sport to create a way forward with the project, and will be looking to secure the support of sponsors that wish to help us create something truly revolutionary for racing.”

Anyone looking to learn more about the project should contact dave@teambrit.co.uk

“Deaf racing drivers face a massive disadvantage in motor racing due to the challenges they face...”

Callum (top) and Sarah Thompson (above and right)

ASTONISHING

NOAH’S SECRET TALENT

Team BRIT rookie Noah Cosby may be known for his incredible motocross and skateboarding days, and now as a promising racing driver, but he has another exceptional talent that many are unaware of.

Noah is an incredibly talented artist and created the most unique and impressive piece that attracted acclaim from industry elites.

Noah tells us more about his love of art, and how his injury informed his most successful creation to date.

“I’ve always enjoyed drawing, even when I was really young. Before I was at senior school, I was just copying images from online, but found I could draw things fairly accurately.

“I was really lucky to receive an art scholarship at a prep school and then at Stowe School for my secondary education, so that’s when I really started to explore new techniques.

“When I had my accident, I missed the first year of my A-Levels and my teachers wanted me to drop down a year. I desperately wanted to avoid this as I’d already missed so much time with my friends, so I convinced them that I could catch up and I did.

“Coming back to my Art A-Level project after my accident, I wanted to do something about what I had experienced, because of how much it had changed my life. Before, when I was working on art projects, I was doing fine line drawings, technical drawings and prints. When I came back, having lost a physical part of my body, I wanted to create something a bit more physical and use more of my body, not just putting pen to paper.

“At first I explored sculpture and carvings which are a lot more hands on. Sculpting with clay helps really understand the anatomy and our essays looked at how the human body has changed through artist’s perceptions over the years.

“As we neared the end of the process, I had to focus on my final piece and I had the idea of creating a sculpture that makes the viewer feel or understand the impact of a spinal cordy injury. I wanted to convey how heavy it feels, like you’re pinned to whatever you’re sat on, but because the feeling has gone, it’s an invisible force. I wanted to create a sculpture that could convey this better than words.

“I’d lost a lot of muscle in my legs which I knew people wouldn’t expect. I wanted to show how skinny they had got, to really make an impact and kind of shock people. I worked with a 3D sculptor artist who I was connected with through my dad. We did a complete scan of my legs, whilst I was hung up from a pull up bar, as photos were taken all the way around me. The artist they helped me render the photos into a 3D model so I had a model that was the exact size and shape of my legs.

“Next I needed to decide on the materials. I wanted it to be heavy, whilst also clear, to show the sense that there was nothing there. Originally I wanted to create a 3D hollow print of my legs and pour in clear resin but that was going to cost thousands!

“I had to get creative and work out how to create the same effect for less money. I found acrylic sheets which were far cheaper, and realised I could stack them to the right height, but how could I create the hollow shape of my legs?

“Using the 3D image files of my legs, we were able to cut the acrylic into slices which were then stacked up to create the perfect shape. It was all stood on a plinth, which each sheet sliding over steel rods, stacking one after the other with a small gap between each, forming the exact shape of my paralysed legs.

“It worked far better than I had ever expected and I was so proud to receive a 100% mark. The school holds a speech day for parents and families, and the headteacher, who is an art critic, asked me if the piece could be displayed in the main mansion as all guests come in. I was really honoured as no one has had their art displayed in that room before.

“When he looked at it, he was walking around it and I could see he was looking to critique it. He said – one thing I would critique is the height at which it’s displayed – it’s right next to the floor. I of course replied and said I’m sat down, it’s based on my point of view. He then said he had nothing further to critique! He never says that about art!

“Over that weekend I had thousands of people looking at it. It was weird, I was sat there watching people look at it and understand it, which felt really cool. People said it made them feel emotional about what had happened to me and that it was thought provoking, which is what I had wanted.

“After that, we submitted it to be considered for the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art. They received thousands of entries and it got shortlisted down to the last 40 which is pretty amazing. Now it lives at home.

“I haven’t done any big pieces since, but still create drawings for people. I recently did a piece for my mum that took over a month. It was inspired by Damian Hurst’s butterfly which shows a mirror image. My mum loves shells so I created an image that was similar, reflecting intricate patterns. She was pretty pleased with it.”

DISCOVER OUR FULL RANGE OF CLEANING MACHINES, ACCESSORIES AND DETERGENTS FOR YOUR HOME AND BUSINESS. Kärcher

www.karcher.co.uk

TEAM BRIT RS ARE PROUD SPONSORS OF

As proud sponsors of Team BRIT we look forward to the team succeeding in their mission to empower disabled drivers to compete in top class motorsport. Good luck from everyone at RS!

To discover more about RS and how we can support your business visit uk.rs-online.com

OUT AND ABOUT WITH SPONSORS

It’s been a busy few months again as we’ve been out on the road with our sponsors.

A unique part of our sponsorship packages is the exclusive access to our team and technology, bringing something special to corporate events.

Whether it’s one of our drivers sharing their story as part of a conference or workshop, or parking our beautiful McLaren outside an office with our simulator providing a ‘hands on’ Team BRIT experience, we really provide something amazing!

For sponsorship enquiries, please contact mike@teambrit.co.uk.

Our McLaren, sim and drivers supporting a BRIT Insurance client event at Palmersport

Our BMW, sim and drivers supporting Karcher’s annual sales conference in Banbury

Our drivers attending London Concours with Adrian Flux for a Q&A with Alex Brundle

Our McLaren and drivers providing a talk for Harrison Holgate’s clients

FIVE QUESTIONS

WITH STEPH HOLMES

We shoot some quickfire questions to our social media manager, Steph Holmes, who joined the team last year.

What is a normal day like working for the team?

Trackside days are my favourite! I have never met a more lively bunch of people who keep me on my toes! I’ll check the race schedule for the day and I’ll capture pre-race interviews with the drivers to share how they’re feeling before they start gearing up for the day. Typically I have a long list of content I need to capture and organise which of these are appropriate for the track and drivers and get as much completed as I can! I like to create a chunky backlog of content to edit and schedule at a later date.

Otherwise, typically I’ll check my diary of ‘to-dos’ for the week and sort through the content I’ve captured. I spend the morning scheduling content for the next week from the extensive Team BRIT archives and fresh content from whatever cool activity we have taken part in that week. Due to many of our drivers being spread over 4 championships, I’m lucky that there is always something new and exciting occurring to share! After this, I spend a lot of time video editing, and scheduling these videos/reels cross-platform after analysing the weeks’ peak active times!

Where did your love of motorsport stem from?

My love of motorsport stemmed from sitting down with my aunt and uncle to watch the F1 when I was younger during the holidays. We would always travel up to Norfolk for 3 weeks of the summer to spend time with them, and whilst I didn’t completely understand the concept of high-speed competitive racing, it always fascinated me. It was my first real experience of how emotion is intertwined within sport, and after experiencing the 2019 British Grand Prix, I was so ecstatic, I knew that I wanted to work within it.

What are the best and most difficult things about social media content creation?

One of the best things about social media content creation is finding out-of-the-box ways to adapt to current trends to make them work for the team and having the creative freedom to execute these ideas. I have always been a creative person, so I love this aspect. But it can be challenging sometimes when a post or reel doesn’t do as well as you’d planned, especially when you have put significant time into capturing and editing it. But sometimes, you just can’t plan for the viral ones, especially due to everchanging algorithms which can be super demanding!

Who’s the best driver when it comes to socials and why?

This is a tough one! There are for sure some front runners. Chris is very detail oriented in his posts, and it always feels like I’m up to date with what is going on in his professional career. This is a really important quality as a driver, especially if you are seeking sponsorship or trying to grow your social pages! Paul is another driver who really adds a personal touch to his professionalism. I love that his socials are essentially a video diary of what is happening around him, this is great for his engagement and I always look forward to seeing what he puts out next!

What’s been your best TB moment to date?

There have been so many incredible moments since joining Team BRIT. Sharing the BMW engine rebuild at Brands Hatch as it was repaired overnight just so it could be raced the next day, watching another piece of Team BRIT history made as Aaron sends the McLaren for the shootout at the iconic Hillclimb at Goodwood, but I think my favourite was seeing Aaron and Bobby cross the line to finish P1 in Nurburgring after the team had worked relentlessly all year to prove our pace and determination. It may be cliche, but a photo really does say 1000 words and you can really tell in those images of the boys on the podium how much racing means to them, and that there really is nowhere else they would rather be. Being able to share this with the people that have followed our journey was an indescribable feeling.

Less metal. Same mettle.

When asked for feedback on the C60 Trident, our Forum said “…make one that still gets noticed, without feeling its presence as much on your wrist.” This new C60 Trident Pro 300 is the result. Same widths. Same lug-to-lugs. Yet an average 1.75mm lower pro le across the range. By using a sapphire case back, it’s an average 14.67g lighter, too. This means its depth rating is now only as good as a Submariner. To compensate: we’ve added extra lume, a new bezel and an optional screwed-link bracelet. Plus actual compensation of £94 average saving. Less. And more, then? Do your research.

christopherward.com