‘Devastated’ Disabled racer loses bikes in fire
ADISABLED motorcycle racer has been left devastated after losing bikes and kit worth around £25,000 in the fire at Bridgwater and Taunton College.
Chris Ganley lost three of his specially adapted racing bikes in the blaze which ripped through the college’s motorsport and motorcycle workshops last week.
Along with the bikes – a YZFR1 race bike, a YZF600 Thundercat and a 650c race motorcycle – Chris also lost a large amount of kit and tools.
The fire, which investigators are treating as arson, caused millions of pounds of damage to the campus.
Chris, a 31-year-old dad of one from Clevedon, said: “It was devastating.
“To find out they had been lost in the fire was bad enough, but to find someone had started the blaze deliberately was just awful.”
Chris has been working with the college for the past three years.
Students service and look after his three specially adapted bikes as part of their studies.
Army veteran Chris started riding bikes when he was in the army, serving in the 1st Battalion The Rifles. He started riding on his return from his second tour of Afghanistan.
“I always wanted a motorbike but my mum said it was too dangerous,” said Chris.
“But after my second tour of Afghanistan and 10 years in the army I thought I’d be safe enough.”
Chris’s life was changed forever in 2014 when he was involved in a motorcycle accident which saw him lose his left arm from the elbow down.
At the time Chris was part of the Army racing team, working in the pits, and had planned to start road racing for the forces.
After the accident and a lengthy spell of rehabilitation, Chris left the army in 2018. But it had always been his dream to continue to race and eventually compete in the Isle of Man TT races.
“I was determined to continue with my dream,” he said, “despite what has happened. I thought it was a case of go big or go home.”
Chris then set about adapting motorcycles to allow him to continue to ride, making changes including swapping the clutch controls from the left hand side to the right hand side of his race bike and re-wiring the machines.
Chris – the only disabled rider on the grid – has been racing for the last three years as part of the Thundersport GB team in the GPI sport class on his 1000cc superbike.
Students at the college have been looking after his bikes, servicing, repairing and spraying them.
“Because the bikes are specially adapted for a disabled rider, it provides the students with different learning experiences in looking after them.
“When they leave college and look for a job they can say they have worked on adapted bikes.”
Chris still has a R600 at home and plans to get that ready to race this season, which starts in just a few weeks with a first planned race at Brands Hatch.
He has set up a Go Fund Me page to help raise £10,000 to get himself back on the road, which has raised almost £5,000.
“The money will help me get back racing again and I am overwhelmed at how people have wanted to help,” he said.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson at the college.
To support the fundraiser visit https://uk.gofundme.com/f/christopher-ganley