A 31-year-old man from Swindon is preparing for his first race with an all-disabled racing team.
Luke Pound, who sustained a range of injuries following a motorbike crash in 2011, will be racing with Team BRIT this Sunday.
Team BRIT aims to be the first British all-disabled team to race in Le Mans, and supports people with physical and psychological challenges in accessing motorsport through its Racing Academy.
Luke will be racing in the trophy category of the Britcar Championship, driving one of the team’s BMW 116s with his team mates. The team’s plans had been paused due to Coronavirus restrictions, but now, racing is back on and Luke will race for the first time this year at Brands Hatch on Sunday 2nd August.
Luke had an accident on his motorbike in 2011 resulting in brachial plexus injury – the breaking of all five nerves into his left arm. This has left him with no movement in his left hand and very little movement in his left arm. At the time, Luke was working in removals and was undertaking his HGV Class 2 licence.
Having moved to Newport in Wales in late 2019, Luke is now working as a planner for DHL’s Tradeteam. He came across Team BRIT online and got in touch to find out more about its Racing Academy opportunities, being a lifetime fan of racing. He joined the team for two track days earlier this year, and after an assessment from the team’s coaches, he was given the opportunity to join as a rookie.
Luke will compete alongside fellow rookies in the Trophy Category and the team’s experienced racers will be driving the Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 in the Endurance category.
Luke explains; “After my injury, almost every aspect of my life was affected, from basic things like opening tins and jars, to carrying things and playing video games. I’ve always liked the challenge of finding a solution and working out how I can still do things with one arm and there’s not much I can’t do now.
“This instantly drew me to Team BRIT. The team has created technology which means that disabled people can race on equal terms, so I’ll be able to compete against able-bodied drivers, just like anyone else.
“The team also has a top of the range sim equipped with the hand controls so I’ll be able to train safely and get used to the new tech. I’m looking forward to getting on track after the delays surrounding Covid, and I hope I can find the sponsorship and support I need to join them in their goal of one day reaching Le Mans.”
