Carryway Team Brit Buggy at Le Mans

The most inspirational team in motorsport “Team Brit” recently celebrated making history as the first all disabled team to race at the iconic Le Mans “La-Scarthe” track.

The historic moment arrived when Team Brit participated in the Aston Martin Le Mans Festival, a support race that took place before the iconic endurance race on June 16, 2018. Competing against able-bodied participants, veterans Jamie Falvey and Warren McKinlay drove the teams GT4 Aston Martin Vantage competing against 24 other cars in there class.

Team Brit comprises of injured individuals that have served in the military and civilians with disabilities. The team makes use of world-class hand control technology to compete with other participants.

The Race

Free practice on Thursday saw Jamie take to the world famous circuit for the first time, rising to the occasion Jamie set a good pace against an experienced field and managed to climb to P3 by the end of the session. However a suspension failure initially left the car in need of repairs at the end of the session.

This set back meant Warran was forced to enter qualifying with no time for practice, however after a scintillating performance the team managed to qualify in a strong P4 position for the main race.

Feeling optimistic after a great qualifying session the team entered the main race at 9:15am on Saturday. Starting strong Jamie climbed to P2 by the end of the first lap. As the race progressed, Team Brit were putting pressure on P1 until a safety car was deployed due to an incident. A mix up with the pits, caused by a race marshal, spelt disaster for Team Brit leaving them ten places behind in P12.

It was now down to Warran to take over. Navigating a number of incidents on the track and pushing hard to regain their places, Team Brit managed to secure a very respectable P9 out of 24 GT4 teams by the end of the race.

CEO and Founder of Team BRIT, Dave Player said, “Racing at Le Mans, waving the British flag amongst an extremely high standard of cars and teams, at such an incredible event, was simply fantastic.

“Despite the bad luck which came our way and lost us a number of positions, we delivered a clean race, even amongst some chaotic times on track. Warren and Jamie did a brilliant job of staying out of trouble and putting their hours of simulator training to good use – delivering an impressive performance.

“Our technical team in the garage worked tirelessly to ensure our car was in top condition, even after a small problem after practice, and once again we demonstrated everything Team BRIT is about.  We were clearly the most inexperienced team, racing on a budget that was miniscule compared to all other teams, and we were fighting for P1 in class before events out of our control changed that.

“This is what we do.  We prove people wrong by demonstrating our British grit and passion and we take on every challenge full force. We are absolutely determined to reach the Le Mans 24 hour and we will do this.  This was a huge step forward for us and I am incredibly proud of the hard work the entire team put in – showing the world just how serious we are.”

Carryway Proud to be a Part of the Historic Event

At Carryway we are proud to have played a part in supporting Team Brit at this historic event.

We have recently sponsored the “most inspirational race team” in motorsports by supplying them with use of a bespoke 4 seat Club Car electric shuttle buggy, specially customised in the teams iconic race colours and branding which complemented its Aston Martin GT4 race car.

With better leg room and ergonomic seating, this Club Car has made moving around easy and comfortable for the Team. The buggy offered enormous support to the support staff and drivers, enabling them to carry equipment and team members around the pits, circuit and site, as and when needed.

Dave Player, Team Brit CEO, had valuable words of praise:

“It was a lifesaver – and that’s no exaggeration! We were racing in the Aston Martin Le Mans Festival, which is a 45 mins support race just before the start for the big 24hr race. Our garages were about 2km away so getting all our gear to/from the pitlane for the race was made so simple because of the buggy! And it would have taken (the team) ages to get there and back! We are enormously proud of our new buggy and the livery made for it.  It helps us stand out and helps raise our profile, not to mention being an essential team donkey.”

Carryway ensured that the customised Club Car vehicle was ready for the trip to Le Mans, delivering the buggy the week prior to Snetterton race track in Norfolk where Team Brit were making their final adjustments to their Aston Martin GT4 car.

Thanking Carryway for a “fantastic donation”, Player expressed his belief that the buggy would garner as much interest as the incredible racers who made the Team happen with their inspirational stories of grit and determination.

Carryway’s 4-seat electric buggy will be used by the team in all their races and events taking place this year.

More About Carryway’s 4-Seat Club Car Buggy

The Club Car electric buggy utilised by Team Brit is ideal for its application, and thanks to its customised range of bespoke options including alloy wheels it certainly looks the part in the pit lane. The forward facing seats make it easier to move passengers or equipment around with ease and comfort. The vehicle is also highly durable and easy to maintain.

Thanks to an aluminium chassis the fit to task buggy is rustproof and offers safe maximum speeds, ideal for use in pedestrian zones. The compact size and tight turning circle, ensures smooth manoeuvrability even in limited access areas.

With Team Brit, Carryway has added one more distinguished name to its list of clients, which already comprises of local councils, world famous hotels and resorts and a host of commercial facilities and contractors.

Carryway has always been interested in supporting inspirational causes such as that of Team Brit, and our company looks forward to being part of many more historic moments.

Carryway is an official dealer for electric utility vehicles, shuttle buses / buggies and street legal micro EV’s. We offer all our vehicles with options to hire or buy, so you can be sure to find a solution to meet your needs. No matter the task or the application, we have a vehicle that fits all your needs, and with fully managed full backup and support services Carryway are your no.1 choice for compact electric vehicles in the UK.

Contact the Carryway team to learn more or enquire:

• T: 0800 953 0503
• E:info@carryway.co.uk