Wokingham racing driver Bobby Trundley expressed his gratitude to Team BRIT as he reflected on another successful season with the racing team.
Team BRIT supports people with physical and psychological challenges in accessing motorsport, and has allowed Bobby, who has autism, to achieve his dreams and allowed him to compete in several racing events with great success.
In a shortened season due to Covid-19, Bobby and Team BRIT completed in their final race of the season just before the second lockdown.
“Just before the lockdown occurred, we had our last race of the year which was absolutely mega, I loved it,” said Bobby
“It was a relief to finish the season before the second lockdown. We were there testing when the government announced that there was going to be another lockdown coming the next week so we knew we had to make sure our last race would be a good one.
“I didn’t have Aaron Morgan with me as usual, but instead I had the CEO of Daytona Motorsport Charles Graham racing in the car with me.
“That was really special because I went through Daytona Motorsport doing the D-Max throughout the country and that helped me to get involved with Team BRIT.
“So to race with the owner was an amazing opportunity and a huge highlight for me.”
Bobby and Charles led Team BRIT to a fifth placed finish in their final race of the season.
“We had an interesting race,” Bobby continued.
“It started raining the day before during testing.
“We qualified in seventh place and so we gambled and made the call to go on slicks because the track was drying.
“I worked my way through the field and ended up taking the lead in our class, and before I had my pit-stop and handed over to Charles, we were in second place overall.
“That strategy call allowed us to take advantage of the situation and put the car in a great result, so we ended up finishing in fourth.
“In the second race, Charles started for us. The rain came and every team was panicking and put wet tyres on, but when I drove half a lap in, we realised it was too dry.
“We made another charge and managed to get into fifth but if we had more time I think we could have got higher.”
As well as being able to compete alongside Charles Graham, Bobby outlined racing in the team’s Aston Martin as one of his memorable moments of the season.
“The main highlight for me this season was being able to drive the Aston.
“In my first year, I was racing in the 116 so to make that massive jump to the Aston Martin V8 Vantage with three times the horsepower was a huge jump to make.
“My result at Brands, getting driver of the day and finishing in third was another huge highlight.
“And also the last races with Charles were such an honour.
“He has been a really successful driver and to be driving with someone of that calibre and someone that has been part of my journey has been an honour and I can’t wait to see what else we can do as a team next year.
“The Aston has improved me as a driver, driving something with that much power, you have to keep on top of it. It has taught me a lot about car control.
“I wanted to be able to show him what I could do in a car and I hope he’s able to work with us again next year.”
Bobby is keen for the team to keep striving for improvement as he continues to prepare for what will be his third season with Team BRIT.
“The ambition for next season is to maintain our form throughout last year and mature as a driver and a person. I want to keep improving, there are always places we can improve.
“Team BRIT has grown massively. I don’t know what the plans are for me to race in next year, but I’m excited for what is ahead.”
“We want to get more people who are disabled interested in motorsport. If they want to get behind the wheel and race, we can offer them the opportunity.
“The team has gone from stride to stride and I’ve loved every minute.
“I’ve got to keep myself fit and healthy, keep my head in the game, so that I can be ready for when the new season starts.”
“We want to get more people who are disabled interested in motorsport. IF they want to get behind the wheel and race, we can offer them the opportunity.
“I got told because of my autism that there would be certain things that I wouldn’t be able to do, like get a car, get a license and get a job.
“But I’ve proved them wrong. I’ve got a licence, I’ve got a car and passed all my motor vehicles qualifications. I want to show people that if you have a passion, you have to follow what it is.
“And whether you have a physical or mental disability, you can still follow those passions and do great things.
“It’s been a huge motivation to go out and prove people wrong that have doubted me, I often wonder what they would think if they saw me now.
“The new season should start around March. It all depends on the Covid situation but hopefully we can run the whole season in full, as last season we were only able to run five races whereas we usually have seven or eight.
“We want more track time, and that will help us improve both as a team and individually.”
