Team BRIT
 | |
| Founded | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Team principal(s) | Al Locke, Mike Scudamore |
| Current series | Britcar |
| Noted drivers | James Whitley, Jon Allan Butterworth, Caleb McDuff |
| Teams' Championships | Britcar Trophy winners 2022 |
| Website | https://teambrit.co.uk |
Team BRIT is a British auto racing team formed in 2015, originally based at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, home of the Top Gear test track, but now in Washington, West Sussex. The team is composed of disabled drivers and currently (2026) competes in three British motor racing series, the GT Cup Championship, Britcar Endurance and Snetterton Saloons, with the ultimate aim to race in 24 Hours of Le Mans as the first ever all-disabled team to compete.
The key element which allows physically disabled drivers to compete is the specially developed hand control system fitted to all the cars. Additional adaptations have also been developed to suit other disabilities including deafness.[1]
History
[edit]Team BRIT was formed as an offshoot of the charity Kartforce,[2] 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 world champion Damon Hill 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.[3]
In 2019 it opened its doors to all disabled drivers, promoting its expansion with a media launch supported by racing driver Nicolas Hamilton[4].
By 2022 it consisted of five cars and eight drivers with diverse backgrounds and disabilities, competing in three racing competitions.
In 2023, 9 drivers competed across four championships.
In 2024, 6 driver competed across two championships[5]
In 2025, 6 drivers competed in one championship[6]
In 2026, 7 drivers are competing in three championships.[7]
History of Cars Available
[edit]2015, 2016 - VW Golf GTI
2017 - 2 x Fun Cup Volkswagen Beetle
2018 - 3 x Fun Cup Volkswagen Beetle, Vw polo gti, Aston Martin Vantage GT4
2019, 2020 - 3 x BMW 116i, Aston Martin Vantage GT4
2021 - BMW 1 Series, Aston Martin Vantage GT4, BMW M240i Racing
At the end of 2021 the Vantage GT4 chassis became ineligible for competition in British GT,[8] which follows SRO Motorsports Group international homologation rules. The team continued to campaign it in the Britcar Endurance Championship where it remained eligible in the equivalent "Class D" under Britcar series rules.
2022 - BMW 1 Series, Aston Martin Vantage GT4, 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 [9][10] which includes a 24h round at the Silverstone circuit. - the addition of a second McLaren 570S replacing the Aston Martin in the Britcar Endurance Championship.[11] - The other McLaren 570S will continue in British GT and McLaren Trophy[12] The BMW M240i Racing will continue in the Britcar Trophy Championship.
2024 - McLaren 570S GT4 and BMW M240i and BMW 1 Series.
2025 - A second McLaren 570S GT4 joins the fleet as #38, the number #68 McLaren 570S GT4 and BMW M240i
2026 - The team competes in GT3 racing for the first time in a BMW M4 GT3. The McLaren 570S GT4 #68 and the BMW M240i.[13]
Hand Control Technology
[edit]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.[14]
The growing development and realism of Sim racing 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.
Key Milestones
[edit]In 2022 Team BRIT drivers James Whitley and Chris Overend made history in becoming the first disabled team[15] to win a British national motor racing championship,[16][17] claiming the Britcar Trophy Championship in an adapted BMW M240i Racing
In 2025, the team marked its 10 year anniversary and unveiled its first ever GT3 car.[18]
In 2026, drivers Paul Fullick and Jamie Falvey set multiple records in their inaugural GT3 race for the team. On Saturday 11th April, the pair competed in round 1 of the GT Cup Championship at Donington Park Circuit, taking an outright win[19] in race 1 and a P2 finish in race 2. At that point, no other disabled pairing had won a GT3 race outright, no other double bronze pairing had won a GT3 race outright and no other pair of drivers had won a GT3 race on what was a debut for both.
| Circuit | Date | Position in Class | Driver 1 | Driver 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silverstone | March 12 | Race 1: 2, Race 2: 1 | Julian Thomas | Chris Overend |
| Snetterton | May 15 | Race 1: 3, Race 2: 1 | Chris Overend | James Whitley |
| Silverstone | June 4 | Race 1: 1, Race 2: 1 | Chris Overend | James Whitley |
| Silverstone | June 19 | Race 1: 2, Race 2: 1 | Chris Overend | James Whitley |
| Donington | Aug 14 | Race 1: 3, Race 2: 1 | Chris Overend | James Whitley |
| Donington | Oct 21 | Race 1: 1, Race 2: 5 | Chris Overend | James Whitley |
Race Results 2023
[edit]| Competition | Circuit | Date | Position in Class | Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Driver 3 | Driver 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silverlake C1 Endurance | Silverstone GP | March 19 | 54 | Yvonne Houfelaar | Asha Silva | Noah Cosby | |
| Britcar Endurance | Silverstone GP | March 25 | 5 | Chris Overend | James Whitley | ||
| Britcar Trophy | Silverstone GP | March 26 | Race 1: 7, Race 2: 9 | Paul Fullick | Tyrone Mathurin | ||
| Intelligent Money British GT | Oulton Park | April 10 | Race 1: 6, Race 2: 6 | Aaron Morgan | Bobby Trundley | ||
| Britcar Endurance | Brands Hatch Indy | April 22 | 3 | James Whitley | Chris Overend | ||
| Silverlake C1 Endurance | Oulton Park | April 22 | 29 | Yvonne Houfelaar | Asha Silva | Noah Cosby | |
| Britcar Trophy | Brands Hatch Indy | April 23 | 2 | Paul Fullick | Tyrone Mathurin | ||
| Intelligent Money British GT | Silverstone 500 | May 7 | DNF | Aaron Morgan | Bobby Trundley | ||
| Silverlake C1 Endurance 24hr | Silverstone GP | May 20-21 | 47 | Noah Crosby | Asha Silva | Paul Fullick | Steve Crompton |
| Britcar Trophy | Oulton Park | May 27 | Race 1: DNS, Race 2: 2 | Paul Fullick | Tyrone Mathurin | ||
| Britcar Endurance | Oulton Park | May 27 | 4 | Chris Overend | Bobby Trundley | ||
| McLaren Trophy | Paul Ricard | June 3 | 2 | Aaron Morgan | Bobby Trundley | ||
| McLaren Trophy | Paul Ricard | June 4 | 2 | Aaron Morgan | Bobby Trundley | ||
| Silverlake C1 Endurance | Donington Park | June 18 | 40 | Asha Silva | Paul Fullick | Noah Cosby | |
| Britcar Endurance | Silverstone GP | June 24 | Did not enter | ||||
| Britcar Trophy | Silverstone GP | June 25 | 3 | Paul Fullick | Tyrone Mathurin | ||
| McLaren Trophy | Spa Francorchamps | June 30 | 2 | Bobby Trundley | Aaron Morgan | ||
| McLaren Trophy | Spa Francorchamps | July 1 | Race cancelled | Bobby Trundley | Aaron Morgan | ||
| BARC Britcar 6 hour | Donington Park | July 22 | 570S P2 in race | Bobby Trundley | Chris Overend | Paul Fullick | James Whitley |
| Silverlake C1 Endurance | Snetterton | July23 | 26 | Gabriela Jílková | Paul Fullick | Asha Silva | Anji Vadgama Silva |
| McLaren Trophy | Nurburgring | July 29 | 1 | Bobby Trundley | Aaron Morgan | ||
| McLaren Trophy | Nurburgring | July 30 | DNF | Aaron Morgan | Bobby Trundley | ||
| Silverlake C1 Endurance | Brands Hatch | Aug 19 | 21 | Asha Silva | Noah Cosby | Steve Crompton | |
| Intelligent Money British GT | Brands Hatch | Sep 10 | 6 | Aaron Morgan | Bobby Trundley | ||
| Britcar Endurance | Donington Park | Oct 14 | 1 (D Invitation) | James Whitley | Paul Fullick | ||
| Britcar Endurance | Donington Park | Oct 14 | 4 | Aaron Morgan | Takuma Aoki |
Following a crash at Silverstone 500 on May 7 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 [20][21]
Championship Results 2023
[edit]Paul Fullick and Tyrone Mathurin finished 21st overall in the Rowe Britcar Trophy Championship and 2nd in class driving the BMW M240i.
Chris Overend / James Whitley / Bobby Trundley / Aaron Morgan / Takuma Aoki finished 13th overall in the Motorsport Uk British Endurance Championship and 5th in class driving the Mclaren 570S GT4.
In the Intelligent Money British GT Championship neither the team or the drivers gained any points.
Race Results 2024
[edit]| Competition | Circuit | Date | Car | Position in Class | Driver 1 | Driver 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Endurance | Donington Park | March 29 | McLaren 570S | 4 | Aaron Morgan | Paul Fullick |
| Britcar Trophy | Donington Park | March 30 | BMW M240i | Race 1 : 4 Race 2 : 2 | Noah Cosby | Asha Silva |
| Britcar Trophy | Donington Park | March 30 | BMW 1 Series | Race 1 : 4 Race 2 : NC | Dom Shore | Caleb McDuff |
| British Endurance | Snetterton | April 13 | McLaren 570S | 1 | Aaron Morgan | Paul Fullick |
| Britcar Trophy | Snetterton | April 14 | BMW M240i | Race 1 : 1 Race 2 : 2 | Noah Cosby | Asha Silva |
| British Trophy | Snetterton | April 14 | BMW 1 Series | Race 1 : 5 Race 2 : 3 | Caleb McDuff | |
| Britcar Trophy | Brands Hatch | May 4 | BMW M240i | Race 1 : 4 | Noah Cosby | Asha Silva |
| Britcar Trophy | Brands Hatch | May 4 | BMW 1 Series | Race 1 : 4 | Bobby Trundley | Caleb McDuff |
| Britcar Trophy | Brands Hatch | May 5 | BMW M240i | Race 2 : 2 | Noah Cosby | Asha Silva |
| Britcar Trophy | Brands Hatch | May 5 | BMW 1 Series | Race 2 : 3 | Bobby Trundley | Caleb McDuff |
| British Endurance | Silverstone | June 15 | McLaren 570S | 2 | Aaron Morgan | Paul Fullick |
| British Endurance | Silverstone | June 15 | McLaren 570S | 4 | Bobby Trundley | Charles Graham |
| Britcar Trophy | Silverstone | June 16 | BMW M240i | Race 1 : 1 Race 2 : 2 | Noah Cosby | Asha Silva |
| Britcar Trophy | Silverstone | June 16 | BMW 1 Series | Race 1 : 2 Race 2 : 2 | Bobby Trundley | Caleb McDuff |
| British Endurance | Donington | August 10 | McLaren 570S | 3 | Aaron Morgan | Paul Fullick |
| Britcar Trophy | Donington | August 11 | BMW 240i | Race 1 : 2 Race 2 : 2 | Noah Cosby | |
| Britcar Trophy | Donington | August 11 | BMW 1 Series | Race 1 : 2 Race 2 : 1 | Caleb McDuff | Dom Shore |
| British Endurance | Snetterton | September 14 | McLaren 570S | 2 | Aaron Morgan | Paul Fullick |
| British Endurance | Snetterton | September 14 | McLaren 570S | 3 | Takuma Aoki | Noah Cosby |
| Britcar Trophy | Snetterton | September 15 | BMW 240i | Race 1 : 2 Race 2 : 1 | Caleb McDuff | Asha Silva |
| Britcar Trophy | Snetterton | September 15 | BMW 1 Series | Race 1 : 1 Race 2 : 1 | Dom Shore | Bobby Trundley |
Gallery
[edit]
Racing steering wheel with hand controls for all functions
McLaren 570S GT4
Aston Martin Vantage GT4
BMW M240i
BMW 1 Series
Winners of the Britcar Trophy Championship 2022
References
[edit]- ↑ "F1: Caleb McDuff, 16, aiming to become first deaf driver". BBC News. 2024-05-05. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
- ↑ "Kartforce". Kartforce.
- ↑ "Video - history of Team BRIT". Vimeo - Team BRIT. 29 October 2021.
- ↑ Purcell, Emma (2019-03-08). "Team BRIT and Nicolas Hamilton launch academy for disabled drivers". Disability Horizons. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
- ↑ Sheehan, Lucy (2024-02-12). "Full 2024 driver line up confirmed! - TEAM BRIT". teambrit.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
- ↑ Sheehan, Lucy (2025-02-11). "Team BRIT Class of 2025 confirmed - TEAM BRIT". teambrit.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
- ↑ Sheehan, Lucy (2026-02-19). "2026 season plans unveiled - TEAM BRIT". teambrit.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
- ↑ "Team BRIT For British GT In 2022". www.dailysportscar.com. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
- ↑ Sheehan, Lucy (2022-11-28). "New rookie racing project launched". teambrit.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ↑ "Silverlake C1 Endurance Series". BRSCC.
- ↑ @teambritracing (January 18, 2023). "Drum roll please!……Next up in our 2023 driver line up are @ChrisOverend and @jameswhitley97, who will be driving the latest addition to our fleet, a 2nd McLaren, in @BECRacing! After a championship win last year, we are super excited about the season ahead for these guys!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-01-21 – via Twitter.
- ↑ "2023: Morgan and Trundley return with unchanged Team BRIT line-up". 2023: Morgan and Trundley return with unchanged Team BRIT line-up. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ↑ "Fareham racing driver selected to lead disabled racing team's GT3 campaign". The News. 2025-10-17. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
- ↑ "Behind MME & Team BRIT's hand control technology". Professional Motorsport World. 2017-10-03. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- ↑ "Team BRIT wins national championship". PosAbility Magazine. 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
- ↑ "Potentially the first disabled pairing to win a UK championship". Britcar trophy. 24 October 2022.
- ↑ "Trophy Championship Results 2022". Britcar Endurance. 24 October 2022.
- ↑ Sheehan, Lucy (2025-10-03). "Team BRIT Launches BMW GT3 for 2026 GT Cup Campaign as it marks 10 year anniversary - TEAM BRIT". teambrit.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
- ↑ "Team Brit secures landmark GT Cup victory at Donington Park". www.autosport.com. 2026-04-14. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
- ↑ "MacLaren Trophy Championship". Maclaren Trophy Championship.
- ↑ "Team Brit announces MacLaren Trophy Championship entry". 18 May 2023.