Solent Technical Instructor wins debut racing championship

Technical Instructor at Solent, Chris Overend, is thrilled to have taken the title of winner of the Britcar Trophy Championship alongside his co-driver James Whitley, making him part of the first ever all-disabled team to win a national racing series.

Chris is a driver for Team BRIT, the world’s only competitive all-disabled racing team – alongside his role at Solent working as a Technical Instructor for photography.

39-year-old Chris was born with development dysplasia of the hips and has lived with injuries, pain and mobility challenges from the age of 12.  A former fashion photographer, Chris discovered wheelchair tennis when his condition progressed and eventually achieved a world ranking. Having been a long-term fan of motorsport and successful sim racing driver, he joined Team BRIT in September 2021, before taking on his first full year of racing this year.

His season began at Silverstone in March with a race win. Chris and James went on to perform consistently well throughout the year and have been named winners of the championship following the final races of the season held at Donington Park on Sunday 23 October. Chris and James, who was born without fully formed hands and is also a Paralympian skier, drive the team’s BMW M240i, which is fitted with the team’s world-leading hand controls which enable them to compete against able-bodied competitors.

Despite it being the first ever year of racing for them both, they finished the season with a 53 point lead in their class and a seven point lead in the overall championship. The news follows confirmation of a second place finish in class for fellow Team BRIT drivers Bobby Trundley and Aaron Morgan in the British GT Championship. Bobby was diagnosed with severe autism as a child and Aaron broke his back in a motocross accident at the age of 15.

The team was formed in 2015 by ex Royal Engineer Dave Player and originally consisted of injured military veterans. In 2019, the team opened its doors to any disabled drivers and its long-term goal is to become the first ever all-disabled team to race in the Le Mans 24 hour.

This year, its eight drivers have competed in the Britcar Trophy, British Endurance Championship and British GT Championship.

Chris said: “I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved as a team. None of this would be possible without everyone putting in 100% every race weekend I’m so grateful for the support of our sponsors, our families and everyone that has come to cheer us on. We believed and we achieved!”