Motorsport Endeavour in collaboration with Kumar Moorthy have been organising Karting for disabled drivers for a few years now and I decided to get involved and have a go.  The track that they use is in Cosely near Dudley in the West Midlands and they have converted 8 karts to be used with hand controls.  http://www.cannonraceway.co.uk/

My morning started with the drive up to Dudley which didn't seem too long as I was excited to try out this new adventure.  I hadn't been karting in years, long before my accident and I was full of anticipation for what lay ahead.  I arrived at the track just before 12 o'clock for the briefing before racing commenced.  Eight of us would be racing and we all had varying degrees of disability but seven of us would be getting in the karts from a wheelchair. 

After the marshalls gave the safety briefing and explained the rules we changed into our racing overalls and were helped into the karts.  This was something I was concerned about before the day as I wondered whether I would have to try and get in the kart on my own.  The reality was that the stewards and marshalls were on hand to help in any way needed.  For most of us this simply meant lifting us out of our chairs and into the karts, it was all done quickly and with the least amount of fuss.

Then it was time to get going!!  The track was inside a huge warehouse converted for racing and comprised of sharp hairpin bends, sweeping corners and a bridge that had to be taken at full throttle.  We all hurtled out of pit lane and had a few practise laps to begin with to get used to the course before the timed trials began.  Very quickly I realised that I was not going to be one of the quickest drivers as a few of the guys had been before and knew the track like the back of their hand.  I also had a problem with my balance as my level of injury is quite high.  As a paraplegic T5 I have no muscle strength below my chest and found it a bit difficult going round corners.  That said it was a fantastic thrill screaming round the track and trying to compete with the other racers out on the circuit. The feeling of adrenalin pumping round your body as you fly over the bridge and quickly brake into the next corner is something I have rarely felt in the years since my accident so it was brilliant to experience it again.

Our session lasted for four hours and in that time we had four races, the quarters, semi's and then the final.  I came nowhere near the final but I wasn't bothered as it was just about being out there again and the feeling of doing something most able bodied people take for granted.  Tommy won the day which no one seemed surprised about as he was miles quicker than all of us.

All in all a brilliant day and I look forward to next time.  Talking with Kumar at the end, they are going to try and find a way of giving me a better harness to secure me into the chair so that I don't move around so much.  This will make cornering much easier and who knows, maybe next time I will be challenging Tommy for the trophy....