BILLY MONGER GOES RALLYING
YOUNG RACER TAKES TO THE STAGES
Billy Monger isn’t afraid of selfimprovement. He’s spent the year in BRDC British F3 learning to drive a car with hand controls, on the limit, in a combative environment with a number of drivers looking to make that next step up.
Of course, Monger is on the same path, and despite the crash at Donington Park in April 2017 after which he lost both legs, he has fought tirelessly to remain on track to Formula 1. His so-called disability isn’t going to stop him.
That is one of the fantastic things about motorsport. Once drivers are cocooned by a helmet and a car, from the spectators at the side of the track and all who are watching, he’s the same as he was 24 months ago. He drives a car quickly, period. He’s not Billy Monger – disabled. He’s Billy Monger, the racing driver. And a quick one at that.
In a motorsport landscape which so often feels full of doom and gloom, Billy’s comeback is a story of joy, equality and busting down boundaries.
For someone who persuaded the FIA to change its rules on allowing amputees to drive a single-seater in competition – which it didn’t before Billy got involved – a challenge as small as rallying appears almost inconsequential. But still, by his own admission, it’s not as easy as it looks.
Motorsport News joined Monger at the Gloucestershire Rally School to see if the growing trend of racing drivers attempting rallying can help with car control and to hone his skills. And, if we’re honest, it’s an excuse to have a hoon around as well. If Ken Block is allowed to do it, why shouldn’t anyone else get the chance?
Thanks to the man behind the school, Andy Gwynne, the school has a car with hand controls ready to go. The venue isn’t Ouninpohja, but it’s enough for an introduction to the loose.
Andy was launched mid-air out of a go kart in his youth, almost taking his life as well as his ability to compete. Breaking the back of his skull in five places after a fall while walking the dog also led to an extended hospital visit. But it gave Gwynne – a regular class winner in national rallying – a new purpose. He’s not let anything get in the way of competing either.
“I spent time in hospital thinking, ‘AMI ever going to race again?’ That made me want to build a car for as many people out there to be able to drive,” explains Gwynne. “Anyone out there we can help to drive and have fun, we try and do it. Why should anyone not be able to try something as fun as rallying, you know?”
Believe me Andy, we know. And soon, so will Billy.
As well as Andy and ace mechanic/ driver Mat Wheeler – a champion in the Citroen C2 series run by Gwynne and an ex-m-sport mechanic in his own right – we have another driving guest who got wind of the test and conquered all before him, including the Kilimanjaro-sized challenge of successfully negotiating the M6 on a Friday, to be there. It’s Chris Ingram.
The European Under 27 rally champion is on a similar path as Monger, a young driver trying to climb his respective ladder and faces similar struggles like where to find budget for next year’s inevitable step up.
While Ingram is stuck on the M6, as soon as Monger arrives, he wants a tour. There’s a look in the garage at some part-built Citroen C2s and a Sega Rally arcade game built into the back of a trailer. It’s a garage of endless surprises.
On inspecting the car he’ll drive today, a 1600cc C2 variant, he describes it to his dad, Rob. The latter jokes that it has a similar configuration to one that Billy broke, he says.
Mnshifts a nervous eye at Gwynne to search for a reaction. Is the day’s rallying going to be curtailed for Andy worrying if his car is going to be totalled?
“My friend Jamie Caroline’s dad, Lee, owns a scrapyard near our way and he had a Honda Accord with hand controls come in,” Monger explains. “After my accident, that was a car we used for a bit. Me and Jamie were hacking around the field in that for a while but eventually we broke it. It was good fun to drive a car because at that point, it was a month after coming home from hospital.”
He launched the Accord over a hidden log. Very rallying. Luckily, Gwynne sees the funny side and there’s universal laughter which cuts through any potential awkwardness.
Enough messing around. Billy wants to be out on stage.
The course has about eight corners, depending on your definition of a corner, and Gwynne goes out first with Monger to help him adapt to the car.
It’s clear from the outside he’s taken to it quickly. While the car is front-wheeldrive, it’s been set-up beautifully to get a bit sideways on entry, straightening for the corner exit to carry speed into the next bend. The surface is wet and slippery, but he looks totally in control. A raised eyebrow from Holly Robinson – Gwynne’s partner and the admin guru around the place as well as a navigator in her own right – tells you all you need to know. It’s only raised for people pushing the limit.
“For car control, there’s nothing really better than rallying,” says Monger after coming in for a debrief and a breather. Although he doesn’t really need either. He’s cool, calm and under control.
“In single-seaters you have to be really disciplined with everything, you have to be neat and tidy. If you slide, you kill the tyres and laptime. It’s a lot more strict.
“There’s still techniques you need in the rally car to be quick, but in terms of today, I’mhaving fun and I can just throw it in however I want.”
Throw it in is right. Speaking of which, the current king of throwing it in, judging by some of the footage that has seen him go viral online, Ingram wants a go. He’s desperate to get the car and see what Billy is all about.
They go out with the order of returning after five ‘laps’ of the stage. Six, seven, eight…are they ever going to come back?