British GT Championship At Donington Park

Last weekend we had the absolute pleasure of being able to join the Invictus Games team at Donington park for the final round of the British GT championship.

With the F-Type being the first GT car in recent history from Jaguar to enter the leagues of competitive racing we were excited to see the cars in action and take a closer look at the team from the comfort of the pits.

One of the first things to strike you is the unmissable Invictus livery which grabs you attention and showing off all of the contours and aero the car has to offer, with its lower meaner look the carbon splitter and spoiler give an amazing touch to an already stunning body shape.

With the mix of drivers including a pro driver and a wounded veteran per car it represents everything it means to us about being British, due to the regulations of the championship the GT4 cars need to be as close to the original spec as possible for engine and suspension work and as this is the teams first year in the championship there is a huge amount of development and learning to go but a more than promising start from this inspiring team.

Huge Thanks to James appleby and David appleby engineering for your hospitality we look forward to next season.

THE STORY

Invictus Games Racing is a collaboration between the Invictus Games Foundation and James Holder – co founder of the Superdry clothing brand.

After stepping into a race car for the first time In 2016 Holder undertook the challenge of competing in the British GT championships that same year. It was during that inaugural race season Holder saw that drivers who were missing lower legs were racing competitively against able bodied counterparts on a level playing field.

It was this that gave Holder the idea to do a high octane war hero charity project focussed around injured servicemen and women that was physically and mentally challenging, rewarding and adrenalin fuelled.

It was important that the project wasn’t just another normal charity – every aspect had to be positive and exciting to create an out of the ordinary experience for all involved in an otherwise exclusive club that is often perceived as elitist and out of reach.

The Invictus Games Foundation with its’ spirit of fierce but fair competition and incredible, inspiring driven individuals over coming adversity was the perfect charity to partner with to make the initiative a reality.

An extensive racing driver recruitment and training programme was carried out by leading experts Mission Motorsport, the forces’ motorsport charity, to find the best suited candidates for the project to compete in two specially commissioned Jaguar GT4 race cars in the British GT championships 2018 season.

The Mission Motorsport selection event tested each individuals’ skills across a variety of disciplines and, after an intense two days, 50 candidates were narrowed down to the four drivers we see before us today.

The two Jaguar GT4 race cars will be being piloted by the Invictus Games Racing drivers and the season will be split across the four drivers in equal measure to ensure that each driver experiences as much testing and racing at Britains’ most iconic race circuits as possible. Each car will also have an accomplished Pro driver who will compete alongside and mentor the Invictus Games Racing drivers throughout the season.

To accompany the Invictus Games Racing drivers, the behind the scenes race teams will also enlist ex-servicemen and women from the Invictus community to flank the engineers, pit crew and team managers.

The aim of the first season is to primarily battle against each other in the two Jaguar GT4 cars.

As experience is gained the drivers will work their way up the field with grit and determination. The drive and desire to succeed is intense throughout both teams and nothing will be left in the tank once the drivers complete their races – it will be a full throttle effort from all involved.

The long term goal is to win – or at least have the most fun on the planet possible in trying to get there.

Follow the season on the website and the Invictus Games Racing social media channels.