Fife hero reaches out to motorsport victim

A racing driver from Fife who lost both legs in a bomb blast has reached out to a talented teenager who has had his lower limbs amputated following a racing crash.

Billy Monger, 17, was involved in a horrific crash at Donington Park on Sunday.

After being treated at the track for 90 minutes, Billy was rushed to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham where he received surgery during which doctors amputated both of his legs.

David Birrell, a former infantry soldier, has now reached out to Billy’s family to offer support when the Formula 4 racer is ready to deal with his future.

David, from Methil, lost both of his legs after stepping on an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan in 2010.

He has since managed to build a successful racing career after going through gruelling rehabilitation.

Now he has vowed to help the youngster train to race with prosthetics.

He said: “I have spoken to Billy’s mother to offer my support.

“I can really sympathise. When I read that he had lost his legs I had tears in my eyes. It brought back a lot of bad memories for me.”

David, 31, had his life turned upside down when his legs were blown off by an IED in 2010.

He said: “I lost my job in the army, I lost my boxing career. It was so hard. But I realised that not everything was gone so I set a new ambition and took up racing.

“When Billy is ready I want to teach him how to race in prosthetics and get him to join my team,” he added.

A JustGiving page set up to raise money for Billy and his family has already raised almost half a million pounds.

The page was advertised on the Instagram of Formula 1 legend Jenson Button, and Lewis Hamilton also paid tribute to Billy on Twitter.

David Birrell has offered his support.