THE RACING ACADEMY IS BACK

It’s been a long time coming but we’re delighted to announce that Team BRIT Racing Academy sessions are back on for 2021.

Having been paused due to the Covid pandemic, we’ve now announced a new set of dates for this year, at major circuits across the UK.

Launched in 2019, the Racing Academy gives disabled drivers their first experience of the track.

Our half-day sessions are led by experienced instructors and include coaching on our fullmotion Vesaro race simulator, before laps as a passenger and a driver in our Academy VW Polo. We’ll then provide you with a full debrief using video footage of your laps, that you can take home and keep. Experienced drivers can also get behind the wheels of our BMW 118i or BMW 240i.

Drivers must hold a valid driving licence and be able to transfer in and out of the car unassisted.

Additional laps can be purchased at the track. Once the intro session is completed, additional track sessions can be booked without the need to be a passenger first.

To find out more, book a session or buy a session as a gift voucher, visit www.teambrit.co.uk/racing-academy. Team BRIT Founder Dave Player said, “Since we launched our Racing Academy back in 2019, the response has been fantastic, with many of our sessions selling out.

“This kind of experience has never been available before, and it’s because of our technology and crew that we can offer this in a safe and enjoyable way.

“It was incredibly frustrating to have stop our track days last year, but we’re looking forward to welcoming new people now that restrictions have eased. Almost 120 drivers have joined us at academy sessions so far, and it’s how we’ve found some of our most promising new rookies.”

Photo by Darren S Cook

//UPCOMING EVENTS

01 02 03 04 05

Wed 14th July

DONINGTON

Mon 16th August

SILVERSTONE

Thu 16th September

SILVERSTONE

Mon 27th September

DONINGTON

Thu 7th October

BRANDS HATCH

CELEBS, SPONSORS, FRIENDS & GUESTS A FUN-PACKED OPEN DAY AT TEAM BRIT HQ

A recent open day at Team BRIT HQ at Dunsfold Aerodrome on Tuesday 1st June, provided a fantastic opportunity for sponsors and guests to meet our team’s drivers and crew and to get their hands on our world-leading tech.

There were also several special guests invited to learn more about the team’s work and our plans to enter British GT next year.

One of the special guests was pro-racer Oli Webb, the World Endurance Championship (WEC) racer. He has competed in the iconic Le Mans race four times in the top category and is an ambassador for Team BRIT sponsor Texaco.

As part of his visit, Oli, who is racing in WEC this year, met drivers Aaron Morgan, Bobby Trundley, Luke Pound, Andy Tucker and Matty Street. They discussed Team BRIT’s goal to race at Le Mans, and Oli shared his experiences in the world’s most prestigious endurance race.

Oli said “I’ve known of Team BRIT since their days in the Fun Cup where I took part in a test a few years ago. My partnership with Texaco reignited my interest in what they are doing. Having seen them performing so well in Britcar, it was great to come along and see what the team is all about.”

Another special guest was YouTube superstar and sim racing expert Jimmy Broadbent. Jimmy was keen to find out more about the team and shoot a video on the drivers, cars and tech for his YouTube channel which has now amassed more than 700,000 subscribers. Jimmy was shown the ropes on the team’s top of the range Vesaro simulator, supported by D-Box motion technology.

With several visitors to HQ on the day, the challenge was laid for Jimmy to set the fastest lap possible on the Vesaro simulator, racing in a McLaren 570s GT4 around Brands Hatch. Commonly known as the most famous sim racer in the virtual racing world, it was no surprise that Jimmy initially took the win, narrowly beating Oli.

Jimmy’s victory was short lived however as Team BRIT GT4 driver and sim racing enthusiast Bobby Trundley pipped him to the post, taking the sim challenge title.

The two had first met when Bobby and fellow Britcar racer Aaron Morgan were racing at Snetterton in May, where the Team BRIT duo went on to take their class win in race 2.

Jimmy is racing in the Praga R1 as a guest driver for the Praga team in the Britcar Endurance Championship this year – his first major move from sim racing to track racing.

While at the open day, he was able to take to the Dunsfold Aerodrome track – world famous as the Top Gear test track - taking the Team BRIT Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 for a spin using the team’s world leading hand control technology.

Jimmy said, “It’s great to see people going racing who may not normally have had the chance. What the team is doing for disabled drivers is really something that others should be emulating.

“The hand controls are pretty special. I could adapt quite quickly to using them which shows how much development has gone into them. After today I’ve definitely got a new respect for people like Aaron – it’s been an eye-opening day.”

Oli Webb was also able to test out the hand controls in the team’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4, taking it for a spin around the Top Gear Test Track under the guidance of team coach Jamie Falvey.

Oli was impressed as well: “It was nice to get a feel for the hand controls. I have friends who have raced with hand controls for years, so I’ve always had an interest in the adaptations that are available. It gives you an entirely new respect for what they’re achieving when you feel what they are like to use.

“Driving with only your hands is like ‘re-learning to walk backwards’, it challenges your motor neurone senses and hand/eye coordination. I loved the brake system, but it would take a few laps for me to get fully confident. It was a pleasure to meet Aaron and Bobby and I felt privileged and honoured to drive their car. I’ll be watching the team’s season with interest.”

Jimmy has already released some epic content from his time at HQ with Team BRIT on his channel - you can find it at

www.youtube.com/channel/UCqylUNa9RoTK5jr6TBOYag

TEAM BRIT VIP s

We were also proud to meet young Team BRIT fans, 10-year-old Hadley Brisdion and 15-year-old Arlo Kearns.

Both Arlo and Hadley have cerebral palsy and were invited along to see how our drivers with disabilities have been able to follow their dreams. They spent time on the sim and even had a trip around the track!

Read more about Arlo’s experiences in an exclusive blog he wrote about the day on page 26.

Arlo in the Team BRIT BMW M240i

Hadley with Team BRIT driver Aaron Morgan