BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
As Bobby Trundley and Aaron Morgan prepare to make the leap into British GT with Team BRIT, they want to showcase how disabled people can compete on a level playing field
Had you told Bobby Trundley and Aaron Morgan just a few years ago that they would be racing in British GT this season, they would never have believed you. And yet that is the reality for the duo, who are preparing to drive a Mclaren 570S GT4 in the series for Team BRIT, the squad that offers opportunities in motorsport for people with a variety of mental and physical disabilities.
Both Trundley and Morgan have been on a winding road to get to this point and have taken full advantage of the support offered by
Team BRIT, which now has aspirations of racing in the Le Mans 24 Hours in the next few years. Trundley, who was diagnosed with a severe form of autism as a child, was first spotted by the team at a karting race, and was a multiple champion in the arrive-and-drive Daytona DMAX series. He has progressed a long way since then.
“Four years ago, I wouldn’t have thought I would be racing cars, let alone an Aston Martin last season,”says Trundley.“this season, to race a Mclaren is such a privilege and I can’t thank the team enough. They’ve helped me through the years and helped me as a person and changed how my life is. It’s an honour to be a part of the team and it’s an incredible environment to be around.”
Trundley went through Team BRIT’S Racing Academy and then marked himself out as a star of the future with a very impressive first season in cars. He won four of the five 116 Trophy races he entered in 2019, and was therefore able to progress to driving the team’s GT4 Aston, alongside Morgan, in the Britcar Endurance Championship the following year.
Morgan, who became the youngest disabled person to secure a National B race licence in 2009, landed the drive after spending several seasons racing in Production BMW and the Compact Cup and impressing in a test in the Aston at the end of 2019. It was a significant achievement for Morgan, who was left paralysed from the waist down following a motocross accident as a teenager in 2006.
“When I was lying in my hospital bed thinking, ‘Why did this happen to me?’, if someone said in 15 years’ time you’re going to be racing a Mclaren in the British GT Championship, I would have said, ‘What fantasy are you living in?’” admits Morgan. “The whole team’s ethos is believe and achieve, and I’ve shown what’s possible for disabled drivers. It’s an amazing opportunity, which I’m so grateful for.”
The pair have forged a strong partnership during their two seasons in Britcar and won races in Class 4 (for GT4 and TCR machinery) last year. But they both recognise that graduating to British GT takes
the standard of competition to a new level.
“We’re the new kids on the block but we can be in the mix,”says Trundley, who is still only 22 and also impressed when tackling the virtual British GT Esports series. “Obviously, I want to be competitive and show what I can do, and Aaron wants to show what he can do. I think we can get podiums.
“In Britcar, the Aston Martin got me used to car control because it’s a weapon! It’s a wild animal and that’s why I loved it so much and always had a smile on my face. The Britcar environment is multi-class so you also get used to different cars coming up behind you and the traffic.”
With Trundley and Morgan switching to the Mclaren, which they have recently been testing at Portimao, it has created opportunities for other drivers in the team. Andy Tucker and Luke Pound will now get to race the Aston in Britcar, with Morgan saying: “There’s an incredible atmosphere in the whole team and everybody is really excited.”
But Team BRIT’S aspirations do not just stop with British GT. Instead, the squad wants to become the first all-disabled entry in the Le Mans 24 Hours – and not part of the Garage 56 innovative cars category either. “That’s the amazing thing about the team – they’re never resting on their laurels and are always looking to the next step and the goal of racing at Le Mans, ”continues Morgan.
Before that, though, comes the small matter of success in British GT4 this year. Trundley and Morgan are keen to repay the faith that Team BRIT has shown in them this season, and both acknowledge the significant role motorsport has played in reshaping their lives.
“Before I got into racing, I didn’t talk to anyone,”says Trundley.
“It’s developed me as a person. Everyone in the team would tell you I was a shy person at the start, but now I’ve matured and I’ve got a job as a driver [with BT]. I’m able to manage my disability a lot more.”
Morgan adds: “Motorsport is one of the only sports that offers disabled people the chance to compete on a level playing field. If you’ve got the right attitude, determination and support, anything you want to achieve is possible. It’s been an incredible journey and I’m extremely proud of it, and I have to thank everyone who has played a big or small part along the way.”
The next phase of that incredible journey for both Morgan and Trundley begins at Oulton Park on 16-18 April – a weekend that happens to coincide with the anniversary of Morgan’s accident. And that makes it an extra special occasion to show how far this inspirational pair have already come.