'I was lucky to lose my leg', says disabled racer

A driver at a West Sussex disability motorsport team has said he never thought he would realise his racing dream "in a million years".

Paul Fullick races for Team BRIT, an all-disabled competitive racing team, based near Washington.

Paul, who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 2021, said: "I wanted to be a car racing driver ever since I was a little kid but it was always out of reach financially.

"I was really lucky to lose my leg because it gave me this amazing opportunity to come and do this racing with these amazing people."

Team BRIT held a behind-the-scenes day on Friday, welcoming a group of race marshals to tour their headquarters, with the aim of educating them on how best to work with disabled drivers – particularly in crashes.

Paul said in a previous crash he'd had a marshal help him who didn't know he had lost a leg.

"She was unaware I was an amputee and thought that that had just happened. She started to panic, I started to panic," he said.

"We look back and laugh now but that communication is really key with all involved to get the safety where we need it to be."

Team BRIT was first set up to help rehabilitate ex-servicemen and women, who had suffered injuries, through go-kart racing.

The team has since expanded to several cars and competes alongside able-bodied drivers.

Engineering director Al Locke said: "It's been quite a journey. It's the most rewarding thing that I've ever not only done, but seen done, in motorsport. Working with these people is everything to us."

Racing driver Aaron Morgan said Team BRIT had a big year planned.

"We're able to compete on a completely level playing field. We go out there to win. Me and the rest of the team are absolutely buzzing for the season to kick off," he said.

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