Team BRIT – the world’s only competitive team of all-disabled racing drivers has enjoyed a milestone moment through its participation in the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Aaron Morgan, a GT4 driver for the team competed in the iconic hillclimb at this year’s event, driving the team’s McLaren 570S GT4.
Aaron is paraplegic following a motocross accident at the age of 15, when a jump went wrong, breaking his spine. The car is fitted with the team’s world leading hand control technology which enables him to compete on equal terms with able-bodied competitors.
From Thursday through to Sunday, the team displayed its car in the Brooklands Paddock, alongside historic and performance cars from across the ages. 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 their 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.
Aaron and Commercial Director Mike Scudamore also attended the infamous black tie event on Saturday evening hosted by the Duke of Richmond – a massive highlight for the team and many of the competitors after the day’s events were cancelled due to high winds.
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!”
